Once again
by TheVictor
Summary: A 7-year old Luffy is approached by his future self. It seems Luffy's entire crew died at the hands of Fleet Admiral Akainu right after defeating the Yonkou Kaidou. Follow a much stronger, smarter Luffy as he repeats his adventure, hoping to avoid the same fate as well as correct some mistakes. Warning: OOC!Luffy, Godlike!Luffy, Smarter!Luffy, LuffyxRobin pairing on the side.
1. The man from the future

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

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_Hi!_

_This is my first upload on as well as my first actual story. It's a time travel story, where Luffy is approached by his future self and is given his power as well as his memories and his scar. A word of warning though, Luffy is pretty OOC in here. Also, I'll only be covering important parts and parts where things will be different. I also won't deal in great detail with fights of other characters. Another word of warning: the Luffy in this story is normal Luffy + future Luffy's strength + haki and memories, so yeah, he's going to be pretty overpowered. Not invincible, but given his overwhelming strength, memories and greater intelligence, he won't be challenged very often, which seems realistic enough to me._

_I know some similar stories (time travel), where his enemies are for no reason capable of resisting his power or miraculously either get haki or know how to resist it. Trust me, there is no way East Blue captains would know about haki (apart from Buggy maybe) when they didn't even know about devil fruits and there is no way some captain Kuro or Krieg is going to be able to seriously challenge or even just touch an emperor level opponent. Probably all fights until Marineford will be quite easy for him. If you don't like an overpowered Luffy, then I suggest you don't read. Now I've talked for more than enough time._

_Please read the story and review if you will. If you don't like, then don't read._

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**1. The man from the future**

A seven-year old Luffy stood in the harbour, surrounded by mountain bandits. He yelled at them for insulting Shanks and they yelled back. The boss, Higuma, pushed the little kid with his back to a barrel, filled with water and put his blade close to the boy's neck. Then Shanks arrived and addressed them. Then suddenly, everything went quiet. The air became cold and it was dark. All the people were quiet and unmoving, some stuck in weird poses. Luffy would have laughed had he not been so scared.

"Shanks?" he asked softly. "Guys, can you hear me? Makino? Mayor? Please say some-"

"They can't hear you." another voice interrupted.

The boy looked around and saw another man, the only other thing moving in the still world. The man wore a simple red unbuttoned vest with sleeves and black shorts and sandals. He had a nasty, x-shaped scar on his chest, as well as another, smaller scar underneath his eye. He wore a straw hat on his head. To many people it would have been obvious who this man was, but Luffy didn't know. The man did seem oddly familiar and for some reason the little boy didn't fear him one bit.

"Who are you?" the little boy asked curiously.

The man smiled and stepped closer, now only a small distance away.

"I am you." he said, still smiling. The boy noted the man's smile was a bit sad, but genuine.

"Whaaat?" the boy asked, not understanding.

"I am you, from the future."

"THAT'S SO COOL!" the boy beamed, stars in his eyes.

"Little me, " the man began with a smile: "I was sent from the future by a friend, because I lost all my nakama. I'm hoping to change that."

The boy knew his older self wasn't lying as there was sadness in his voice, so he too began to feel sad. He felt a small tear slip down his cheek and he looked wide-eyed at the older male.

"I'm going to lose all my friends?" he asked and the man nodded. The boy seemed ready to cry, but the man spoke again to calm his other self.

"Don't worry, now you'll be able to fix that!" he said cheerfully and the boy looked up.

"H-How?"

"Easy, I will give you my strength. Though, I'm told you will also gain my scar, as a reminder of what you can still lose." the man said, pointing to his big scar on his chest.

"H-Hey, did I become a pirate?" the boy asked again.

"Yes, a very good one. But I couldn't become pirate king."

"Why not?"

The man sighed and looked at the boy with tears in his eyes.

"My nakama died."

"O-Oh."

"Without them I didn't have any will anymore. I couldn't kill myself, because that would be a slap in their faces, as they died to protect me ..." the man said, now sobbing.

"Y-You ... I must have been very sad." the boy said looking at his older self, who was in pain.

"We were." the man begun. "I continued to live ... for them. But I was so sad, all the time. Sometimes I just wanted to die."

The younger Luffy wanted to say something, but the older one lifted his finger, gesturing that he still hadn't finished.

"So I did whatever to keep myself busy. I couldn't continue being a pirate, as it depressed me. " the man spoke solemnly. "So I went to a big island and begun to live there. I hid myself and made some new friends. I trained, although I didn't have a reason to train anymore, but I still became a little stronger. But training reminded me of my nakama, so I didn't train too much. I read a lot, a bit about history and a bit about war, fighting and such-"

Then the boy interrupted him, laughing softly.

"Then you can't be me. I don't like to read."

The man laughed back.

"I know. But it kept my mind off all that I've lost."

The boy nodded in understanding.

"So, do you understand why I'm here?" the older Luffy asked with a soft smile.

"To give yourself another try." the boy replied immediately. The man smiled a bright, happy smile that the boy had not seen from him yet and then he begun to approach the boy, but the boy had another question.

"How will I know my nakama?"

The man stopped and smiled again.

"And they said I was always too dumb and reckless." the man said proud of his younger self's good question. He noticed impatience in his younger self's eyes and spoke again when he saw him open his mouth. "When I touch you, we will join together and become one-"

"You sound like Shanks when he talked about the bees and the birds." his younger self interrupted. They looked at each other and for a few minutes they both laughed uncontrollably. Then the older pirate recomposed himself and spoke again.

"It's nothing like that!" he spoke with a shade of red on his face. The boy snickered, not quite understanding why the man was so embarrassed, but was amused anyways. "When I touch you, I will literally disappear-"

"COOL!" little Luffy interrupted.

"Yes, I know. You will get a bit of my strength, but you'll also get all my memories and skills as well as my scar unfortunately." the man spoke.

Then he noticed the little man was pouting.

"WHAT?"

"That's unfair to the others!" the boy spoke and the man understood immediately.

"I know it is. "

"Then-"

"But we want to protect our nakama, right?" he said to the boy, whose pout quickly disappeared and he now nodded wildly. The older Luffy was surprised by how quickly he agreed to it, even though he hadn't met even a single one of his nakama yet. But then, he reminded himself that they are the same person after all ... and that besides Shanks they don't have many friends yet. He smiled and continued to speak.

"And besides, it won't be the same! It will be kinda cool that we'll be much stronger now!"he said kindly to the boy, who grinned happily at him.

"We'll be awesome!" the boy screamed in his excitement and the man nodded, now very happy.

"Ready?" the man asked kindly.

"Yosh, let's do it!" the boy said with a smile. The man touched the boy's hand and begun to vanish, slowly becoming more and more transparent. The boy was then overcome with pain as he received new muscles, as well as a new scar and plenty of new information in his brain. Then the pain eased somewhat and the boy looked up again, seeing the brightest smile he had ever seen in his life stretched across the man's ... no, HIS face. He smiled the same bright smile back at his now almost entirely transparent older self as he finally fully understood everything. The older Luffy had one final thing to say to himself.

"Protect them, Luffy. Always protect your nakama."

Then he finally disappeared entirely and the pain ceased. The cold and dark air persisted for a few more minutes and then the world begun to work again.

'Thanks for another chance, Coby. I'll make sure you become a good marine again!'

'YOSH, LET'S DO THIS!'


	2. The scary seven-year old

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

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**2. The scary seven-year old**

Luffy watched curiously as the bandit leader, Higuma tried to argue with Shanks how the entire incident isn't any of his business.

"I don't know why you're here, pirate, but you'd better leave, before you get hurt." the mountain bandit boss said, attempting to threaten the Yonkou. The said man ignored him and looked straight at Luffy, who suddenly seemed very calm and much more composed, which was completely different from just a few seconds ago.

He watched for a few seconds and then spoke again.

"Didn't you say your punch was as strong as a pistol, Luffy?" Shanks spoke softly.

"I did." Luffy replied calmly, so calmly in fact that Shanks wondered if Luffy was even aware of the danger he was in. The villagers were also unnerved by how calm and uncaring the boy seemed. Makino addressed this.

"Luffy, what are you-" she spoke distressed at him, but he stopped her by raising his hand. Then he looked Shanks straight in his eyes and spoke.

"Shanks, I got this."

Luffy spoke those words in a very low voice, very much unlike him. The villagers were frozen in place and everyone just stared at him. The bandit leader didn't know how to react to such bold words, coming from a seven-year old boy. Then Luffy glared at the bandits and every single one of them except their leader fell on the ground. Said man was on his knees, panting heavily. Jaws of every single person in the village dropped to the ground. The villagers had no idea what to think, while the pirate band knew what had just happened. There was only one thought going trough the pirates heads and that was: 'No FREAKING WAY!'

Then Shanks recovered from his shock and picked his jaw up. Everyone else followed. They were still very much in shock from the display. They stared silently at the boy for a good while and then Shanks suddenly screamed at the boy, startling everyone present.

"LUFFY! THAT WAS THE KING'S HAKI! NOT ONLY THAT, IT WAS A CONTROLLED BLAST!"

"I know." Luffy spoke silently, but everyone heard him. Shanks was never so shocked in his life. He was a Yonkou and he had never ever seen anything like this before.

"But how-" he started to speak again, but he was interrupted as the bandit leader stood up and attempted to slash Luffy.

Shanks wanted to help, but Luffy dodged the blade effortlessly, without even looking. Then, with his Gomu Gomu no Whip he sent the mountain chief flying in the distance. Again, without a trace of effort. The boy had flicked the bandit aside like a bug.

Jaws were on the ground again and pirates and civilians alike were staring at the boy. He himself turned slightly to the right and looked at where he sent the detestable small time villian.

"Well, there goes 8 million berry. " he casually said. Shanks picked up his jaw again and unleashed what he was holding up for the minute.

"LUFFY, WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? HOW DID YOU DO THAT? HOW CAN YOU HAVE HAKI THIS STRONG? IT TOOK ME MY ENTIRE LIFE TO BECOME A YONKOU AND YOUR HAKI IS HALF WAY THERE AT THE AGE OF SEVEN!" he bursted out. Everyone now stared at him, only now realizing the true gravity of what they have just witnessed. They kept looking between him and Luffy who looked patiently at the mighty pirate.

"I'll explain, Shanks!" the boy said, but the pirate didn't listen.

"YOU AREN'T LUFFY! LUFFY IS A WEAK LITTLE KID! YOU'RE AN IMPOSTOR! OR SOMETHING!"

"Shanks, let me explain-" Luffy pleaded to stop his outburst.

"YOU CAN'T MASTER CONQUERING KING'S HAKI AT AGE SEVEN! WHATEVER YOU SAY, THAT'S SIMPLY NOT POSSIBLE!" Shanks continued, ignoring Luffy. Now even Ben was annoyed by his captain's inability to stop and listen.

"Captain, just-" he started, but was also ignored. Luffy's eye twitched in annoyance.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE? IS THIS SOME KIND OF JOKE? ARE YOU A SHAPE-SHIFTER OR SOMETHING? HOW CAN-"

"SHUT UP!" the little boy suddenly yelled with razor-sharp shark teeth, annoyed enough with the man. Shanks stopped and glared at the boy, who didn't flinch a bit under his gaze. Then he relaxed a bit and sighed.

"Sorry," the Yonkou spoke softly. "Please explain."

The boy looked at him for a bit, then he also calmed down and slowly started to talk.

"I ... I don't know if you guys will believe this ..." he spoke softly.

"Try us !" Ben Beckmann replied.

"Ok!" said Luffy, "Another me came from the future."

Shanks looked ready to start talking again, but Ben put his hand over his captain's mouth. Others looked at him, clearly not believing.

"He merged with me and gave me all of his strength and knowledge."

He noticed the looks and knew immediately what the problem was.

"You don't believe me, right?" he said silently. Nobody answered, but Luffy knew that was the case. He looked at the Yonkou. "Shanks, you saw me trying to swim last week, right?"

Shanks didn't know what that had to do with anything, but he nodded. Then Luffy turned to the villagers.

"And you, Makino, saw me bathing yesterday?" Makino also nodded, just as clueless.

"Luffy, I don't-" she started, but he interrupted her again.

"When we merged together, my body changed too. I became a bit more similar to him." he said, and then slowly started undressing his shirt. Nobody understood anything, but then as he pulled the shirt higher, they knew. He had a very muscular chest, which wasn't that way even one day ago. And then, as he pulled it off, they noticed the x-shaped scar. Many villagers gasped and Makino put her hand on her mouth.

"It hurt a bit as I changed ..." Luffy said slowly. Shanks was wide-eyed.

"What gave you this scar?" he asked. Luffy looked him straight in the eyes as he spoke the next words.

"Admiral Akainu."

Everyone was wide-eyed all over again.

"WHAT?"

"It's true."

"Okay, Okay, ... " Shanks said slowly while massaging his head. "Let's say I believe your story so far." He sighed. "But why did you come from the future?"

Luffy answered in reverse order.

"A great friend, marine I will meet ate the Toki Toki no Mi(time time devil fruit). Thanks to my encouragement he became a marine admiral." Luffy spoke silently, but everyone was quiet. "He came to fight me, but I wanted to die anyway so I just surrendered to him."

Shanks was shocked. He saw in Luffy's solemn eyes that this was the truth and he knew something terrible must have happened to him.

"Anyways, since he was my friend, he gave me a chance to do this and fix everything. " Luffy continued.

Shanks nodded to him silently.

"What happened? Why did you want to die?" Shanks asked.

"My nakama." Luffy said with tears in his eyes. He dropped at his knees and began sulking. "He killed them all. "

"Who?"

"Akainu." Luffy spat out the word like a curse. Shanks eyes widened at this. He glanced at the others and he knew everyone believed him by now. He saw the looks of sympathy from the people and tears in Makino's eyes. "And I had just kicked Kaidou's ass! We won barely against Kaidou." They saw him repeatedly punch the ground with his fist. "And then when I woke up, everyone was dead. Zoro, Nami, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Brook. All dead. And he was standing over them with his lava destroying my ship. "

He looked at the ground for a moment. "I just snapped then. I don't even remember much of what happened then. Except that at the end, Akainu was dead."

He smiled weakly at the end.

* * *

_A few things:_

_If you're wondering why Luffy is acting like he was there, it's because he was. His seven-year old self may not have experienced this, but his future self has and they merged so they became one (muscular insanely powerful and emotionally scarred seven-year old) guy._

_Also, about how powerful Luffy is now: His body is (currently) nowhere near as powerful as his adult body, but it's still a great deal tougher than the average persons body (Luffy is now a monster after all). His haki however, is much more powerful and is roughly at the level that Luffy was at Fishman island (Haoshoku Haki at least). The combination of an inferior body as well as his loss of nakama have weakened him to the point that he's no longer nowhere near an equal to the Yonkou (for now). Given that Luffy could handle 50.000 foes at Fishman island and Shanks was said to be able to knock out all of them, I'm putting him at 1/2 Shanks level, but only in haki. However, even if Luffy had Shanks level haki, he still would have no chance against him as his body is simply too weak. Also, as a seven-year old, he would lose against most of his grand-line foes (Every Shichibukai, CP9, any marine marine captain). But, when he sets sail again, he'll be much more overpowered. To see how his battles will go then, you'll just have to wait for them._

_Even though he'll be overpowered I'll still try to make them as interesting as possible._


	3. Second chance

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

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**3. Second chance**

Luffy sobbed quietly on the ground. The villagers and pirates were processing this information quietly. Then when Luffy looked up again they were startled by what they saw. He had a bright smile on his face and determination in his eyes.

"But that won't happen again." he said simply. "I'll find them again and this time I'll become the Pirate King!"

Shanks, surprisingly started to laugh.

"Gahahahahaha! This has been one insane day, kid!" Pirates started to laugh alongside him and the civilians smiled in agreement. Then Luffy stood up and started laughing alongside them. Then he spoke again.

"Guys, please don't tell anyone about this. Not even any of my family or friends. Keep it to yourself. " he pleaded. They looked at each other. "... please. I don't want my chance ruined because of my big mouth."

The people all nodded when he finished.

Then Shanks walked straight up to him and took his hat and pushed it on Luffy's head. Villagers and pirates alike gasped at the sight. Shanks was extremely protective of that hat. He was mad when Luffy tried to take it when they first met.

"Here kid. I wanted to give it to you for some time now." he said.

"Thanks, Shanks. I'll try to protect it. " replied Luffy. "In fact, I know I will!"

"Oh?"

"He had it. My other self had this hat."

Shanks eyes widened at this, but then he smiled warmly.

"Let's go have a party, kid! Let's celebrate our insane day and your second chance, kid!" he announced loudly.

"You'd celebrate even if nothing happened, Shanks!" replied Luffy. Everyone laughed and Shanks pouted. "Ok, but only if you give me lots of meat!"

"Gahahahaha! What's with you and meat?" asked Shanks, now happy again. "Let's go men! Let's party!"

With those words a huge party broke out and even the villagers joined this time. Luffy and Shanks talked a lot and Luffy told him a lot about his nakama and adventures.

Shanks frequently interjected with his own comments, such as when Luffy talked about his nakama:

"A pirate hunter joins you, then a pirate thief? Really Luffy?!"

"A liar? What do you do with a liar?"

"A, Yassop's son ... that explains the liar part *BONK* HEY?! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, YASOPP?!"

"A perverted leg fighting cook? By any chance is he connected to cook Zeff?"

"A pretty princess? Oh, but then she left?"

"A talking transforming human-reindeer ? I ... That IS COOL!"

"WHAT? NICO ROBIN? The Demon of Ohara? *BONK* Sorry, Luffy! I promise I won't say demon again! *BONK* I'm sorry! PLEASE FORGIVE ME! *BONK* LUFFY, STOP NOW!"

"A mafia cyborg shipwright in a speedo?"

"Oh, he helped you save your demon? *BONK* No, don't hit me anymore! ... Honestly, you're the scariest seven-year old I've ever met!"

"A perverted skeleton musician? ... Nope, not drunk enough to believe that!"

"Oh so that's who was singing in that Triangle place ... thing ... Nope, I won't try to recruit him! ... Yes, I promise, Luffy!"

"Jimbei? Fishman pirate Jimbei? That bigshot promised to join you?"

* * *

After a good while of drinking and eating many pirates fell asleep, villagers left the place and Luffy fell asleep on Shanks coat.

"Captain-san, what do you think?" Makino, the bartender who was the only sober one left in the room. Shanks sighed.

"I know it's completely crazy and insane ... but I believe him." He paused for a moment and looked her in the eyes. "He'd have to be a really good liar to pull all that out of his ass."

Makino smiled somewhat sadly at this.

"So, you think he really went through all this?" she asked, tears in her eyes.

"Yes, " replied Shanks. "I ... I didn't think I would be responsible for such a disaster."

"But you're not, captain-san!" Makino said to him.

"I am. I got him to become a pirate, I-" he started, but a sleepy voice of a boy who just woke up interrupted him.

"Stupid Shanks!" said Luffy sleepily. "It was Akainu! Akainu and the rest of those bastards!"

Shanks smiled softly at this. He was glad Luffy didn't blame him.

"And you owe me your arm, stupid Shanks! So you'd better stay a while!"

Shanks and Makino were both confused by this.

"What do you mean ... his arm, Luffy?" asked Makino.

Luffy smiled.

"First time I wasn't strong. Shanks lost his arm saving me from the bandits."

Shanks and Makino looked at each other surprised.

They talked for a bit more, but then it went dark and they went to sleep, Shanks on the ship and Luffy lied down behind the bar.

* * *

_Why did Luffy tell them everything? Well, he's seven and he's still somewhat of an idiot, but mostly because he was hit pretty hard by the memories and needed to tell someone. In the future, he won't be as generous with his information. (He might still let something slip though.)_


	4. Setting sail (again)

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

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**4. Setting sail (again)**

Shanks, despite planning otherwise previously, stayed on the island for another month because of Luffy's pleading. He and Ben taught Luffy a few things, such as the basics of swordplay (Shanks gave Luffy one of his swords, one of the Skilful Grade Meito (Named Sword), **Ashita no Kanashimi** (Tomorrow's sorrow), a relatively small katana with a black hilt and sheath with a green line coming from the middle of the hilt to the end of the sheath (on both sides) and a silver blade with a slighty purple-ish glow.

Afterward, when Shanks left, things proceeded as they were supposed to, with meeting Dadan and Ace and Sabo and everything that was supposed to happen after that. Luffy hid his haki, his strength, as well as his knowledge from his family, so he appeared the weak little brother again. He actually enjoyed the experience of having two big brothers looking after his supposed weak self. Also, he thought it would be priceless to kick Ace's Logia ass when they next met and then reveal to them that he wasn't weak after all. When Sabo was supposed to die and his boat was shot by the World Noble, Luffy, with his super speed knocked out Sabo and made it appear as if he by some miracle survived and was washed up to the shore alive. He made himself cry by remembering the deaths of his nakama and friends in the previous life. Truly, he became quite devilish and very different from his first, less intelligent self. But, in essence he was the same. He still cried quite a bit, though now for different, more serious reasons. He still loved meat and adventure and was still horrifyingly careless at times.

Then Ace and Sabo set sail, this time together, as co-captains. Sabo didn't have the ambition that Ace had (which was to defeat Whitebeard), he only wanted to be free and Ace wanted to protect Sabo. Also, they wanted to take Luffy with them, but he flatly refused them each time, stating that he will become Pirate King on his own.

Afterward, Luffy could finally start to train without being worried about being found out. He took back his small katana from Makino, who was keeping it safe and remembered his short, but useful training with Shanks. To his relief, he found out that his haki got no weaker from the discontinued use, but he wanted to become stronger. By seventeen, he his chest became quite a bit more toned, now rivaling his future self that merged with him.

At the same day as before, Luffy set out to the sea. Once again on a small boat and although it seemed almost the same, it clearly was not. Luffy was different. He had his small Meito strapped to his waist and he wore different clothing. He now wore what his future self wore, a red open sleeved shirt revealing his mighty chest and scar, his hat was now secured to his neck by a string and he had black shorts with pockets in which he had quite a bit of money from his days at Grey Terminal, when he hunted small time criminals for money as well as a small box containing some important items. Hidden by his sleeve, he had a small tattoo on his right shoulder now. It read 'ASL'. 'A' was yellow with a red border, representing fire, 'S' was light blue with a black border representing his hat and 'L' was red with a pink border representing him. The villagers waved at him as the left to shake the world. Again.

* * *

_Yes, Luffy saved Sabo! Even if it were to be revealed that he is still alive in the future, Luffy doesn't know that and thinks he died then. If you're mad that I didn't go into much detail it's because I'm frankly not very interested in the childhood saga. I may do some flashbacks someday, but I'm much more interested in the main story, which will begin in the next chapter._

_Why did Luffy cry? He's merged with his future self, but he's still a kid._

_Why did Sabo join Ace? I don't know much about Sabo, but I figure he just wants to be free, so he joined Ace, because he was being annoying and overprotective about him and he didn't really have any real desire to be the pirate king, so he figured he might as well make his brother sleep easier by joining him. Luffy refused Ace's invitation for obvious reasons._

_The name of the katana? __**Ashita no Kanashimi**__ (Tomorrow's sorrow) kinda fits Luffy, doesn't it? But I chose it, because it sounded cool and only after that I realized how well it fit. First name (Tomorrow's sorrow was second) I thought of was also random. It was __**Tamahen**__ (Reason), but that doesn't fit at all, so I discarded it._


	5. The great pirate Alvida

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

_Yay! Finally we can begin the story. Also, if you can't figure it out, there's nothing great about Alvida (Except her size)._

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**5. The great pirate Alvida**

Noises woke him up. He just wanted to sleep for a little bit longer dammit. He yawned silently and listened to the conversation.

"You ain't seen nothin', kid. Okay?" said a man with a gruff sounding voice.

"H-Hai!" answered a scared sounding voice.

'Coby!' thought Luffy with a fond smile. 'You made all this possible. I need to make you a marine again!'

"Alright, " said the man now. "I'll just punch this barrel open and we'll drink!"

'Seriously, who punches through a saké barrel to open it.' thought Luffy. He then heard the man approach. 'Yosh!'

He struck his hands trough the barrel, punching the pirate. The man was sent flying through the ship hull and into the distance.

"WHAT A GREAT NAP!"

The two remaining pirates and Coby all fell on the floor, staring at him. Luffy turned to Coby and asked casually if he had anything to eat.

"Quit screwing with us, brat! Who the hell are you?" asked the two pirates, while Coby just stared at Luffy.

Said pirate waved his hands in front of Coby's face, ignoring the two screaming pirates behind him and asked: "Coby, are you awake with your eyes open?"

Coby's eyes widened. Luffy mentally slapped himself. 'We weren't even introduced yet, moron brain!'

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" asked Coby.

"Oh, it's a secret, can't tell ... My name is Monkey D. Luffy." said Luffy. Then the two pirates both launched themselves at him with their swords. Coby closed his eyes.

When he opened them again there were three man-shaped holes in the ship hull and no pirates in sight. Coby was in shock.

"So, food?" asked Luffy. Coby quietly nodded and lead him to the food storage room.

Luffy ate and Coby complimented him on his strength.

"The future pirate king has to be strong, Coby!" said Luffy and Coby's jaw almost dropped.

"Pirate king?" asked Coby. Luffy nodded. "THE Pirate king?" Luffy nodded again. "That's impossible. Completely impossible. The pirate king has everything in the world, he is the strongest pirate of all!"

Luffy simply nodded again.

"You are going to the Grand Line to find One piece!" Luffy nodded yet another time.

"Impossible, impossible, completely impossi-"

*BONK*

"Ow, why'd you hit me for?" asked Coby, touching the new bump on his head.

"Because you're being hysterical." said Luffy in a low tone. "It doesn't matter if it's impossible. It's my dream and I'll do it anyway."

Coby was in awe. Never had he heard such determined words.

"You have a dream too, right, Coby? I see it in your eyes!" said Luffy.

Coby stood up, now looking determined too.

"I want to become a marine! In want to become a man who captures criminals like Alvida here!"

Luffy smiled brightly.

"Are you ready to follow it, Coby?" asked Luffy seriously. "Are you prepared to stake your life on your dream?"

Coby, in his new surge of determination nodded furiously.

"Then, let's go beat up a fat pirate!" said Luffy.

Coby paled a bit, but nodded anyway. They walked together up the stairs and on the deck.

"Who are you going to beat up, Coby?" asked a very fat lady pirate. Coby was now completely pale in fear as pirates descended upon them. Luffy knew exactly what to say at this point.

"Hey Coby!" asked Luffy for all to hear. "Is this fat ugly whale Alvida?"

Jaws dropped and everyone paled as they heard those words.

"WHY YOU INSULTING BRAT! KiLL THEM, MEN!" yelled Alvida and then her pirates jumped them. Coby covered his eyes in fear.

Luffy moved at incredible speeds, punching pirates left and right into the distance and into the ship, creating massive holes in it.

'It feels good to fight again.' he thought content. He made sure Coby wasn't harmed.

Very soon there were only three people standing on the ship. Coby, Alvida and Luffy. Then Luffy begun to laugh.

"Hahahaha! Such weaklings! Is this the best you can throw at me, you fat hag?"

Coby looked up in disbelief. There were holes in the ship. Several pirates were stuck with their upper bodies and a few were just laying there. Alvida was about to snap.

"Luffy-san, how did you beat them all?" asked Coby. Luffy looked at him and spoke softly, but Alvida also could hear.

"This is the weakest sea, Coby. I am far stronger than anyone here. Even that whale over there!" Luffy said, pointing at Alvida.

That was the last straw. Alvida jumped at him and hit his head with her giant mace. Both Coby and Alvida were both sure he was gone for about a minute and Alvida looked viciously at Coby with a look that promised pain, but then ….

„Hey guys, I don't want to interrupt ..." Luffy said underneath the mace. "But I'm still alive! Also, sorry about your mace, Alvida!"

„Wha-"

Suddenly, the giant mace started cracking and after a few seconds it fell apart.

Alvida stared at Luffy and took a few steps back. She was scared. She hit the offending man with her full force and her mace fell apart. She had never experienced something quite as terrifying as that.

Coby's mind on the other hand completely collapsed. Pirate 'Iron Mace' Alvida was the most powerful being he'd ever met and she was completely and utterly dominated by a man of a quarter her size without him even doing anything.

The man in the straw hat took a step towards her and she took few more steps back and hit the mast.

"Like I said before you interrupted me," he spoke, "I am far too strong for you."

And with that, in a flash, Alvida was flying above the ocean.

Coby blinked a few times and looked between Luffy and the dot in the distance. Before the boy could react the Straw hat pirate grabbed him and jumped down the ship in a small boat. Soon after, Marines appeared and started firing at both of the ships.

„IAAAAAAA!" screamed Nami, very surprised when Luffy crashed into her boat with Coby in his hand. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_I'm Nami. I love money and mikans."_

* * *

Luffy stood up and smiled at her and put Coby on the ground.

"Hey," spoke Luffy cheerfully. "Are you by any chance heading to Shell town?"

She nodded quickly. She would have yelled at him, but she wasn't exactly stupid. She saw how he dealt with the pirates. He smiled at her.

"Then," he spoke again. "Can we come with you?"

"U-Ummm …." she said nervously, "S-Sure, why not!"

"Thanks!" he said, smiling brighty. Then he suddenly got serious. "Hey, were you by any chance with those pirates?" He already knew the answer, but it appeared more natural if he talked to her. The question got a very angry response from the feisty woman.

„OF COURSE NOT! I HATE PIRATES!" she yelled.

Luffy took his sword from his sheath.

„Then, I suppose I should do this." he said softly as he turned towards the other side of the boat, where Nami was. Nami and Coby both got the wrong conclusion. Nami was scared now. Coby jumped in front of Luffy.

"Coby, what are-" Luffy said softly.

"L-Luffy, I heard what she said and I know you're a pirate," Coby said while denying Luffy access with his body. Nami tensed up considerably at his words. "But you can't hurt her just for hating pirates, you-"

*BONK*

Luffy had just punched Coby over his head again and looked down at him on the floor. Nami put her hand on her mouth in horror,thinking about what the pirate will do to Coby, but then Luffy spoke.

"I wasn't going to hurt her, Coby." Luffy said in a low tone. "Only a coward hurts people for their ignorance."

Nami wasn't sure what to think of the guy. But thankfully, he gave her more time to make her opinion, as he turned around and faced the ship. He readied his blade and then looked at the other two passengers.

"Brace yourselves!" he warned.

'What is he going to do do?' both thought.

Luffy slashed downward with his sword, like he was cutting an enemy. At that instant the two ships, the bigger civilian ship and the smaller pirate ship behind it both fell apart. They were in two. Two jaws hit the deck.

'No, this … this just isn't possible!' thought Coby. Nami on the other hand was on the edge of a mental breakdown (not that Coby was that far from it either).

Luffy looked at them and smirked. It was fun seeing their reactions.


	6. Demon of the East

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**6. Demon of the East**

"WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO?" snapped Nami at Luffy. He simply smiled and replied.

"I cut it." he said. Coby and Nami both looked at him with shocked expressions.

"HOW?" yelled both of them in unison. Luffy's expression became a little more serious.

"I'm sure you both heard me before, when that fat whale was trying to fight me." Luffy replied in a casual tone. "I am much stronger than anyone here in East Blue."

Both just stared at him. Luffy then turned around towards Nami and asked her, though he already knew, but he'd rather ask than get into a weird situation later. "What's your name?"

"Why should I tell a pirate such as you?" she asked in a menacing tone. Luffy looked at her with half-lidded eyes.

"You know, if I was going to hurt you, I'd have already done it." he said.

"I... I..." she stuttered.

"And besides, I don't like hurting people if I can help it. " he continued, interrupting her.

Her face was confused.

'But he's a pirate! A freakin' pirate!' she screamed in her mind.

"Anyways, name?" he said, pointing at her.

"N-Nami." she stuttered. He grinned.

"Alright, Nami, Coby!" he said and looked at each of them. "Get me to Shell town!"

* * *

A few minutes and conversations about Zoro later ….

* * *

"Bye, Guys. This is where we part ways!" said Nami. Luffy grinned at her.

"Don't worry, Nami. We'll meet again." he said casually and walked away before she could say anything. Coby simply shrugged at her and ran after Luffy.

"So what-" started Coby.

"When we meet next time, she'll join me." said Luffy simply as Coby walked alongside him. He looked at him in disbelief.

"She hates pirates, Luffy-san." said Coby. Luffy smirked.

"Obviously." replied Luffy. "It's clear she's suffered under one."

"What? How can you tell?" asked Coby, wide-eyed. Luffy looked at him and shrugged.

"Anyways, let's go see the Pirate Hunter!" said Luffy. "He'll join my crew!"

Coby was in disbelief.

"But he's a criminal! A bad guy! He'll kill you!" yelled Coby.

*BONK*

"Coby, don't be so narrow-minded. There are good pirates and bad marines. I've met both." Coby simply stared at him in disbelief. But the more he thought about it, the more his words made sense. Then Luffy suddenly stopped and turned to him.

"Do you think I'm evil, Coby?" he asked in an almost whispered tone. Coby thought about it for a minute and then spoke up.

"No." he answered. "I can't be sure, but you didn't really do anything bad as far as I know."

Luffy smiled brightly and continued walking now. The boy walked beside him.

"That's good. You should really take the time to decide for yourself what to believe, Coby." he answered after a moment of silence.

"By the way," he continued. "Do you know a pirate known as 'Red Haired' Shanks?"

Coby nodded. "Of course I do. He's very famous. He is said to be a monster though."

Luffy nodded, but then took off his hat.

"Do you see this hat? He gave it to me." he spoke, holding his hat in front of him. Coby was surprised that his new-found friend had already met such a famous pirate.

"What was he like?" Coby asked him. Luffy put his hat back on his head and turned to Coby.

"He was a very funny guy. Very nice. He stopped at my home town for a year. Didn't cause any trouble at all. " Luffy answered. "The devil fruit I have, Gomu gomu no mi, was actually his. I ate it on accident. " Coby stiffened at the thought of eating a Yonkou's rare devil fruit on accident.

"How did he react?" Coby asked.

"He was upset." replied Luffy. Coby nodded. It was pretty understandable to be upset if someone accidentally ate your 100.000.000 Berry treasure.

"But not because the fruit was his treasure." Luffy continued, shocking Coby beyond belief with his words. Coby stopped and stared at him. "He was upset because I'd never be able to swim again. I bet that's pretty hard to believe."

Coby nodded dumbly.

"But it true. Anyway, we're here!" said Luffy. He jumped at the wall to find Zoro and Coby reluctantly followed. There was a ladder already on the wall and he used that. They looked around for a bit and then Luffy spotted a familiar sight.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Leave this guy to me, Captain!"_

* * *

"That's Zoro." he whispered, motioning to the man, bound to a wooden cross. There was a little girl in front of him. "I'm pretty sure they are starving him. And that girl must have brought him some food."

Coby and Luffy watched as a blonde-haired young man came and Luffy had to resist running off and punching him, repeating the words 'He'll be a good guy!' in his head. He watched as Coby's belief in the absolute righteousness of the Marines shattered in front of his eyes as Helmeppo kicked the girl's Rice balls and had her thrown over the wall.

Luffy caught her masterfully, using only one outstretched hand and without moving from the spot and set her down. He watched as the blonde-haired bastard kicked Zoro a few times and then left.

"Thank you, mister!" the girl told him with a smile.

"Shishishi, no problem. I'm Luffy by the way and this is Coby!" he replied, pointing first at himself and then at Coby.

"I'm Rika!" the girl said.

"So, I take it Zoro isn't so bad, after all, huh?" Luffy asked already knowing the answer.

"NO!" the girl yelled out, but then continued normally. "He saved me from Helmeppo's dog, that's why he's over there."

Luffy simply smiled.

"You can tell us all about it later." he said kindly. "Please wait for me here, I wanna talk with Zoro for a bit."

They nodded and he jumped over the wall. He approached the bound man, ignoring the bad smell, and when he was very near, the man finally noticed him.

Zoro looked at him, eyeing him up. The young man who approached him seemed harmless at first sight. He looked as any normal teenager would, except for his two scars, his straw hat which at the same time looked totally out of place and like it was meant to be there and his aura which emitted power, authority and … restraint, very much in contrast with the mans appearance.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked bluntly, putting on his most devilish glare. The man seemed completely undeterred. He still had a bright if for some reason nostalgic smile on his face.

"My name is Monkey D Luffy!" The Straw Hat pirate answered simply. "I'm here to get you to join my pirate crew!"

Zoro stared at him for a moment, but then chuckled.

"No way. I'm not going to be some pirate. I'm not a bad guy!" Zoro answered simply, but did not snap at the guy, which surprised him. Zoro usually did not take such invitation well. Most often he would snap or even cut the guy who dared to ask such a thing. But this guy was different … or maybe he was just hungry …

"I know what you want, Roronoa Zoro." Luffy said quetly. "But you won't become the greatest swordsman by staying in East Blue."

"Hey, how did -"

"It's obvious, really." Luffy interrupted. "The wandering swordsman, Roronoa Zoro, who goes around cutting wanted criminals, but doesn't join neither marines, pirates nor any other group. It's pretty obvious when you think about it."

"Then what do you propose, _pirate_?" Zoro asked, spitting the last word out like a curse.

"It's simple, really." said Luffy and Zoro quirked his eyebrow, intrigued by the man. "Don't take this the wrong way, Zoro, but you are far to weak to even pose a threat to Sir Dracule Mihawk of the Shichibukai."

This angered Zoro greatly and started kicking around angrily, as if he could somehow hit Luffy.

"Why have you come here, really?" he finally spat out, glaring dangerously at Luffy. "Did you come to mock my ambition?"

Luffy was unhappy that Zoro thought he was insulting him.

"No, Zoro, not at all." Luffy finally answered with a sigh before Zoro could snap again. "You're not weak, Zoro. And your ambition and will to fulfill it are admirable. And you're without a doubt the strongest swordsman in the East Blue by far, but unfortunately that doesn't mean shit in the grandline."

He looked at Zoro cautiously and he was glad that the man calmed down a bit.

"With me." he continued. "You'll be able to fight many swordsmen and grow stronger! And I'll help you train if you want, teach you a few things."

He grabbed his sheathed sword and pulled it up a bit.

"I'm a bit of a swordsman myself." he concluded. Zoro looked at him for a bit, considering his words.

"How do I know, that I'm as weak as you say I am?" he finally asked with a calm voice.

Luffy smiled and replied: "Zoro, can you cut iron? Can you cut steel? Can you send flying blade attacks? Can you cut a ship in half?"

Zoro stared at him bewilderment.

"Of course not!" he snapped. "Those things are impossible!"

Luffy shook his head.

"Those are the minimum you'll be required to be capable of, if you want to stand a chance against Mihawk." he said and Zoro looked at him in horror.

"If you still don't believe, join me temporarily. I've got it on good authority that Dracule Mihawk has recently attacked Don Krieg's fleet. They'll be running back to East Blue no doubt. And he will follow. You'll be able to see for yourself how big a difference there is between you and him."

"Seriously?" Zoro asked wide-eyed. "He's coming here?"

"Yep. So what'll it be?" asked Luffy. Zoro was now very eager to accept, but he still had a loose end.

"You know, I'll probably join you." replied Zoro after a moment of silence. "But I can't leave yet. I have a promise to keep. I have to survive for a month without food and the bastard will let me go."

"Ah, Rika said something about that. But he doesn't seem like the type to keep a promise." Luffy mused.

"*sigh* Look, I don't break promises." Zoro said a calm tone and Luffy smiled at the proclamation. "If he tries to kill me or says he will, you can intervene. But not before."

"Well then, I guess I'll see you later, First Mate!" chuckled Luffy.

"Hey, I didn't even say I'll actually join!" yelled Zoro, but Luff just grinned and ignored him. After that, Zoro asked him to hand him the dirtied rice ball, which he did.

Luffy then jumped over the wall and went to find his two friends in the bar. There he encountered a familiar redhead and waved at her, which she completely ignored. Rika told them all about Zoro's predicament and later Helmeppo entered the bar and foolishly proclaimed aloud that he'll execute Zoro. Luffy of course punched him like before, holding back considerable amount and not using any haki, but still punching out a few teeth.

"Coby, Zoro will become my first crewmember."

* * *

_Why does Luffy say all the shit about weakness and stuff? Well, partly because he wants to get Zoro to join and he wants to make it as tempting as possible. The other reason is that he doesn't want Zoro to actually challenge Mihawk so soon, because he knows he's going to get humiliated. He won't interfere though if it happens._


	7. Hello, I'm a Pirate

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**7. Hello, I'm a Pirate.**

"Helmeppo will have you executed in three days, Zoro. " Luffy announced while staring at Zoro. "And if you don't believe me, Coby here can confirm."

Coby just nodded fearfully when Zoro looked at him.

"Damn, I knew it." Zoro muttered under his breath.

"I'll free you and then I'll get your swords. Is that okay, Zoro?" he asked. Zoro just nodded.

"I don't care about the rest, but get my white sword. It's my treasure." Zoro said. Luffy nodded with a grin and cut him from his binds with his Meitou.

"Coby, Zoro, wait here. I'll be right back." he said. "Gomu Gomu no Rocket!"

Zoro stared in disbelief as Luffy launched himself to the top of the marine base.

On the roof of the marine base, various marines were pulling a statue of Captain Morgan. Helmeppo suddenly stormed in and tried to convince his father to have Luffy killed. Predictably, the man punched his son and denied him any help.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, what a bad father." someone spoke up. They looked up and Helmeppo was scared by the familiar looking Straw Hat.

"Dad, that's the guy that hit me!" yelled Helmeppo and pointed at him. Luffy jumped down.

"You know what I'm going to do to that ugly statue?" Luffy asked, while clenching his fist.

"What are you on about, foolish commoner?!" yelled Morgan in anger. Luffy grinned mischievously and punched the statue. To the surprise of the marines, it wasn't his fist that broke, but the statue. In a thousand pieces no less. Marine jaws dropped when he ran off while laughing out loud at them.

"GET HIM! KILL HIM!" yelled Morgan in furious anger.

Marines saluted and ran after him. Luffy found Helmeppo's room (without help this time) and took the swords, while being deeply disgusted with the girlish decoration.

At about the same time, a certain redhead was searching for something in the base, glad for the distraction.

When Luffy looked out the window he saw his two rather panicked looking friends surrounded by marines. He sighed in frustration and jumped through the window, taking the bullets at the shock of everyone present.

"Yes, I ate a devil fruit. It's called Gomu Gomu no Mi and I'm a rubberman!" he yelled irritated when he saw the shocked expressions. "Now you'd better all run back to your base, before I kick your asses."

The marines flinched at the threat, but it made the captain even more angry rather than back away wisely. He handed the swords to Zoro, then he took out his own sword. He stepped forward and the marines instinctively backed away. Zoro was impressed by the man's aura. He hadn't even done anything yet and fully grown marines were scared shitless.

"You're not scared of this little brat now are you?" yelled Morgan at his subordinates, who became even more scared now. "Anyone who's scared, shoot himself now! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

Marines reluctantly started to obey, assuming they were dead either way. Luffy facepalmed and Zoro chuckled at his reaction. He then used his devil fruit powers to whip them before they could do anything.

Morgan was furious now and foolishly tried to attack Luffy. When the future pirate king saw his approach he chuckled. Morgan tried to cut Luffy in half with his axe, but he was stopped by Luffy's sword.

"**Armament: Hardening.**" muttered Luffy and his other hand became shiny black.

"What the hell is that?!" yelled Zoro.

Luffy ignored him and punched Morgan, who flew directly into the base, crashing into it and spitting out some blood.

"Luffy." Zoro begun. "I know I promised to follow you, but don't interfere with my dream. If you do, you'll have to apologize at the end of your sword."

"I know, Zoro!" grinned Luffy. "You don't have to worry about that! Your fights are your own."

Then he turned to the marines. He grabbed Coby and Helmeppo (who tried to shoot him, but it didn't work).

"Hey, guys!" he yelled to the marines, who flinched. "Who's the second in command?"

An ordinary looking marine stepped forward, somewhat pale. "I'm commander Ripper."

"Commander, could you sent those two to my grandfather, Monkey D Garp? Alongside this message?" he asked, receiving astonished looks.

"Luffy, your grandpa is Garp the Fist?" asked Zoro, totally shocked now.

"Is that true?" asked Ripper. Luffy nodded.

"I'm Monkey D Luffy, pirate. He wanted me to be a marine, but I won't be, so I'm sending these two as replacement."

"Do you want to be marines?" he asked the two. Coby nodded furiously, while Helmeppo just shrugged, but then nodded. "Alright. *sigh* I'll see what I can do."

He looked at the two pirates.

"You may stay for the day. Then I'll have ask you to leave, since you are a pirate." he said. Luffy nodded. "I suggest you use this time to say goodbye to your little friend here."

Coby, Zoro and Luffy all nodded and left the base and headed for the bar. The marine commander sighed and looked at the message. He couldn't help but smile.

_TO NAVI HQ VICE-ADMIRAL GARP:_

_Hi Gramps!_

_I'm sorry, but I've become a pirate, so I'm sending you these two guys, Coby (pink-headed geek) and Helm-something (Blond Onion-headed asshole)! They're really weak but I bet you can make something with them (Coby In particular could go far, he could be an admiral or something someday if you hit him just about right)._

_Love ya (even if you do punch me all the time),_

_Monkey D Luffy_

_(future pirate king)_

* * *

_I have to confess that I imagined Luffy doing the woop woop woop that Zoidberg does while escaping from Morgan._


	8. The captain and his swordsman

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**8. The captain and his swordsman**

After eating and saying goodbye to Coby, the two pirates left with their tiny boat. Before spotting the bird, the two had a conversation

"Hey Luffy, could I see your sword for a bit?" Zoro suddenly asked. Luffy handed him Ashita no Tamashimi and Zoro unsheathed it and looked it over and was visibly impressed.

"It's a named sword." Luffy told seeing Zoro's reaction. "But of a lower grade than your white katana. It's called **Ashida no Tamashimi** (Tomorrow's sorrow)."

Zoro looked at him.

"So, you're a swordsman?" he asked. Luffy nodded.

"You could say that. But I'm not very skilled." he said. "I can do at lot of stuff that you still can't though."

Zoro raised an eyebrow at that. "Then how can you say you're not skilled?"

Luffy sighed.

"I'm only a bit better than you. What I know extra about swordsmanship you could learn quickly, if you challenged yourself enough or if I taught you, though I'm crap at explaining things. But ..." Luffy said and paused.

"But?" Zoro repeated with a quirked eyebrow.

"But … " Luffy continued. "I'd still pretty easily win against most considering I'm much stronger and faster than most opponents we'll meet."

"So, how's your skill a problem then?" Zoro asked, for now ignoring the seemingly incredibly arrogant statement.

"If I fought someone with the same strength and speed level, I'd probably lose badly." Luffy answered. Zoro still didn't fully understand what Luffy meant as he was still staring at Luffy in confusion.

"*sigh* LISTEN!" he said more loudly now. "Swordsmen at my current strength level are much more skilled than I am."

"Oh." Zoro said simply.

"But just how strong are you then?" he asked after a brief pause. Luffy looked at him sceptically.

"I don't think I can tell you that." he said, sighing.

"Why not?" Zoro asked confused.

"You'd never believe me. You'd say I was crazy or delusional or something probably." Luffy answered with a pout.

"Try me." smirked Zoro.

"*sigh* Okaay." Luffy said and took a long breath.

"I'm about as strong as a Yonkou." he finally said. Zoro's jaw almost crashed through the wooden floor as his mind shattered because of the statement.

"Zoro?! Are you asleep with your eyes open?" Luffy asked while waving his hands in front of the swordsman's face. His eyes bulged out and he looked at Luffy.

"That _does_ sound crazy." said Zoro. Luffy just grinned.

"It's true though. I'll definitely become Pirate King with my strength." laughed Luffy. Zoro clutched his head. A headache was coming, that's for sure.

"Assuming that's true-" Zoro started

"It is." interrupted Luffy.

"Okay. But how did you get so strong?" Zoro demanded. Luffy sighed.

"Can't tell you that, Zoro. Not yet." Luffy replied. "I'll tell you when I have all crew positions filled though. "

Zoro sighed but decided to drop the subject and instead ask something he would get an answer for.

"So who else do we need?"

"We need, let's see … " Luffy answered while looking at his hands, "We need a navigator, a sniper, a cook, a doctor, an informant and librarian, a shipwright and most importantly a musician."

"Priorities, captain. We don't really need a musician." said Zoro with a sweatdrop.

"But pirates love to sing!" said Luffy with a pout and Zoro sweatdropped again. "Anyway, we still might get some more, but I'll tell you all about my … err past when I have all those. I already know where to get all those members, but it'll take a while."

"Enlighten me then captain!" asked Zoro.

"I didn't know you liked my voice so much, Zoro!" Luffy laughed and Zoro almost fell down. "We'll get a navigator on the next island, a sniper in Syrup village, a cook on Baratie, a doctor on the Drum island, the informant on Arabasta, a shipwright on Water 7 and a musician on the island of Sir Gecko Moria, Royal Shichibukai."

"I understand." Zoro said while drinking a glass of sake. Luffy sweatdropped.

" … You don't know where any of those places are, do you?" Luffy asked in a deadpanned expression.

" … Nope." answered Zoro after some delay. Luffy laughed.

"CRAAA" a bird called.

"That's okay, because I don't either!" said Luffy.

Zoro spat out his sake and Luffy laughed as he launched himself at the bird.

* * *

_Before you start yelling how incredibly overpowered Luffy is by being Yonkou level in this story, consider that the future Luffy was capable of defeating both Kaidou and Akainu before he was sent back to the past. Luffy won't steamroll all his opponents, far from it, but he'll have a far easier time with them. Also, Whitebeard is in my view quite a bit stronger than the average Yonkou and a Yonkou is maybe a bit stronger than an admiral. Don't expect Luffy one-shotting any admiral and don't expect him to one-shot every Shichibukai , New world pirate or Vice-Admiral either._

_Also, while Luffy knows the names of the places he got his nakama from, he has no idea whatsoever where they are and certainly doesn't know anything about navigation, except maybe how to use the log-pose to get to the next island (but not how long it would take, what the weather would be like, what to do, how to read maps properly, etc.)_

_Also, one other thing. Luffy can do flying blade attacks and he can use those to cut ships. Shanks taught him that, because Luffy thought it was cool. After his brothers left, he trained for three years and he also trained with his katana, but Luffy is no swordsman. He's rather clumsy with his blade (compared to true swordsmen) and it isn't his thing anyway, so he'll rarely use it._


	9. The pirate with a huge red nose

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**9. The pirate with a huge red nose**

Nami was running away from some pirates, when she heard a cannon shooting. After a moment, a man literally fell down from the sky and created a small crater.

"H-Hey, are you oka- LUFFY?!"

"Arara, hello again Nami!" greeted Luffy.

"Anyway, I don't have time for this. You deal with them, boss!" she said. Luffy turned around, while Nami ran away.

Luffy saw three pirates. They tried to fight him, but he dodged all their swings and punches thanks to his Observation haki. He saw Nami on the roof and grinned at her, whilst still dodging. Then he activated, for the first time since he was seven, his Kings haki. The three men fell down, foaming at the mouth.

"H-Hey, what did you do to them?" she asked, a bit shaken by the display.

"Ever heard of Haki of the Conquering King?" asked Luffy. She shook her head.

"Well, that was it. It allows a man to overpower the wills of weaklings." he replied.

GRUUUUUMBLE

"I'm hungry." Luffy said. Nami sweat-dropped, but she decided to treat him with a meal. They arrived to an empty house and he started eating.

"What are you doing here anyway, Nami?" Luffy asked while eating.

"Why would I tell a pirate that?" she asked back, irritated.

"Because obviously you want to do something with me, right? Otherwise you wouldn't have treated me a meal? I'm an evil pirate, right?" Luffy replied. Nami stared at him.

"Probably something involving a rope, another pirate and a map?" he teased, knowing already what it was. Nami was wide-eyed.

'How did he know?'

"But don't bother with all that!" Luffy continued and swallowed a whole piece of bread. "I'll kick this pirate's ass for you if you join my crew, at least temporarily. And you can have his treasure, since you probably need it."

Nami considered his words for a minute. He could definitely protect her if their earlier encounter was any indication. And he didn't seem to want to hurt her even if he was a pirate.

"Alright." she finally said and Luffy beamed. "I'll join you if you beat Buggy the clown while I get the map and treasure!"

"Let's go, then!" Luffy smirked and ate the remaining food in one gulp.

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

"HEEEY, GIANT BIG HUUUUUGE REEED NOSE!" Luffy yelled aloud in front of the pirates. The pirates wore mortified expressions and Buggy was pissed of course.

"You dare say that to me, stupid thief!" Buggy threatened.

"I'm no thief! I'm a pirate captain, you stupid moronic RED NOSE!" Luffy retaliated without fear. Nami, who was behind him was horrified however.

"WHY … YOU … STUPID STRAW HAT!" Buggy tried to insult back. Luffy just laughed.

"I'm proud of Shanks's straw hat, Buggy!" he replied.

"WHAT? That hat belongs to that insufferable Red Haired Bastard!?" Buggy yelled out in rage.

"He's not a bastard, Buggy, he's a Yonkou!" Luffy replied, still laughing. Nami gasped at the words. How did this no-name pirate know one of the Yonkou? "And he told me about you, when he visited! He said you have a huge red nose and that you dress and act like a clown!"

"FIRE THE BUGGY BOMB! I WON'T LISTEN TO THESE INSULTS!" ordered the clown pirate and the men begun loading the specialized cannonball in the cannon and lit the fuse.

Nami urged him to start running but he dismissed her words. Everyone watched in horror as Luffy used his Gomu Gomu no Fuusen to push the cannonball back and hit the Buggy pirates.

"What the hell was that?!" yelled Nami. Luffy replied while laughing.

"I ate the Gomu Gomu no mi. I'm a rubberman."

"So you ate a devil fruit, same as me." said another voice. Both Luffy and Nami looked and saw Captain Buggy, who had shielded himself with two of his subordinates.

"That's right, Big nose." Luffy answered, never dropping the 'insult'. Buggy's face darkened once again in rage. He was about to say something, but was interrupted by a voice nearby.

"You sure know how to cause a ruckus, Luffy." the voice spoke. Everyone turned to where it came from and saw a green haired man with three swords with a smirk on his face.

'So he did recruit him.' Nami gasped.

"Oh, hi Zoro. Good to see that you found us." Luffy said, but then his motioned to his left, where a certain redhead stood. "And this is Nami, she's going to be our navigator once we beat that Big Red nose."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU, FLASHY BASTARDS!" Buggy screamed in a high-pitched voice.

"Allow us!" said somebody to his right. He stood on a unicycle and had a sword in his belt.

At his left stood an unarmed man, who had hair shaped like animal ears. He hopped on top of a big lion. The three of them approached Luffy and Zoro ran over to him as well.

"Zoro, you take the swordsman. I'll take the lion and the guy with weird ears." Luffy commanded. "Nami, you can find the treasure and the map."

Cabaji tried to attack Luffy, but Zoro blocked his sword. Luffy prepared to fight Mohji and Richie the lion. The lion with the man on top of him threw himself at Luffy, but he simply punched the lion when he was near enough.

The man managed to jump off the lion before Richie flew backward and imprinted himself into a nearby wall. Mohji backed away in fear, but then Cabaji kicked him away in annoyance. He flew straight into Luffy who simply dodged and he plummeted into a nearby house.

"I think I'll just kick back and watch for a bit." he said casually and turned his attention to the fight between Zoro and Cabaji. The swordsman easily blocked all the other man's attacks, despite him being a trickster. Luffy was of course forced to intervene, when Buggy tried to help Cabaji by using his devil fruit powers. The fight lasted a while longer, but then Zoro ended it with a single 'Santoryu Onigiri'.

Buggy was enraged when his first mate was beaten by the swordsman and was preparing to fight, when he spotted a certain redhead with bags if his gold. He was of course determined to get them back at all cost. That cost him dearly however.

"You should pay attention to the one you're fighting." somebody behind him said. He turned around and to his horror, Luffy's face was right beside his.

"Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!" Luffy yelled and with that attack Buggy flew high into the sky. After a while, a few of the villagers approached the three pirates and asked them who they were. Luffy said they were pirates and told them he kicked Buggy's ass. Then he tossed the Mayor one of Nami's bags, which of course she protested, but he told her that they needed the money for repairs. After that they left the island together, heading for Syrup village, where a certain long-nosed sniper lived.

"PIRATES ARE COMING!"

* * *

_And that is Buggy's saga done. Unfortunately I don't like this saga very much personally, so that's why you get this sloppy work. :( Again, if you're a fan of Royal Shichibukai, Great Pirate Sir Buggy-sama 'The Clown Star', leader of The Pirate Dispatch Society, my sincerest apologies. Kuro and Krieg will be better, I promise._


	10. The tale of a great captain and a shitty

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

_Here comes by far the longest chapter for now. Yep, I did the Kuro saga in one chapter. Hope you like it._

* * *

**10. The tale of a great captain and a shitty one**

As they once again approached Syrup village, Luffy couldn't help but feel nostalgic. He would once again see his probably best friend, Usopp.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Hey Luffy. Would you like to hear the tale of how Captain Usopp once fought alongside the giants of Elbaf?"_

* * *

Luffy felt a tear slip his cheek. He knew now that the tales were mostly bullshit (as entertaining as they were), but he couldn't wait to hear them again. His behavior did not go unnoticed. Both of his two crew members were staring at him. He finally noticed it.

"What?" he asked in an unusually quiet tone.

"Were you crying?" asked Nami. Zoro looked at Nami, his glare telling her that she shouldn't push it.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Luffy looked at the dead bodies of his crew. He noticed Usopp with a burned hand clutching a round silver locket. In the front it had the symbol of the Straw Hat pirates. He opened it and found the picture of Kaya on one side and the picture of him along his nakama on the other. He looked at the second picture then at his dead friends. He was the last one._

* * *

He felt more tears slip. He saw them looking at him worriedly.

"I … " he begun. "I remembered my friends."

He looked at them and saw sympathy in their eyes. He look a breath and calmed himself.

"Don't worry about me." he said a bit more loudly. "Anyway, I'M HUUUNGRY!"

They both fell over and Luffy threw himself at the beach in the distance. They followed after him.

He pulled his head out of the sand. Suddenly he felt bullets approaching. He dodged them casually with his observation haki.

"L-L-Leave now, P-P-Pirate!" a long-nosed man on top of the hill stuttered.

'Usopp!'

"And if I don't?" he asked with a grin as Nami and Zoro jumped out of the boat that just reached the beach.

"T-T-Then … THEN I'LL CALL MY EIGHT MILLION MINIONS AND TELL THEM TO KICK YOUR ASS!" Usopp declared loudly. Pirate flags appeared all over the hill.

"BRING THEM ON!" Luffy yelled and took a battle stance. Zoro looked at him oddly and Nami facepalmed. "I'LL TAKE ALL OF THEM!"

Usopp looked at him with a look that said 'Are you insane?'.

"He doesn't have 8 million men, Luffy!" Nami said.

"Oh?!" Luffy said with a pout. "That sucks ..."

Usopp looked panicked.

"OH NO, THEY FOUND OUT!" he yelled out.

Nami just smirked. Usopp struggled to compose himself.

"It's true I don't have that many, but I have lots of loyal and strong companions." he declared. They saw as six flags started moving up and down.

"All three of them?" asked Nami and they saw as three little boys threw the flags in the air and ran away in panic.

"Anyway, you don't have to be afraid, Usopp, son of Yassop!" Luffy yelled with a loud grin. "We won't harm this village!"

Usopp gaped in surprise and took a step forward, but then fell down the small cliff.

"You know my father?" he asked as he finally stood up again.

"Yeah I'll tell you all about him!" Luffy promised. Usopp smiled happily, now no longer scared of the trio.

"I'll treat you some food. Come!" he declared and they happily followed.

At the small restaurant, Luffy told Usopp all he knew about his father and they quickly became fast friends.

Then Usopp had to leave and he went to Kaya. After this, his three friends came looking for him. After playing a little joke on them, the kids took the trio to the mansion.

With his devil fruit powers, Luffy took them over the high fence and they crashed down just in time to interrupt arguing between Usopp and Kurahadol. Luffy did not feel the need to reveal his true identity however, so he allowed things to proceed as they were supposed to.

Later he found Usopp sitting near a tree on top of another cliff and they talked a bit more.

Like the first time, they overheard the conversation between Kuro and Jango, only this time Luffy didn't show himself. They sneaked away and Usopp formed a plan. Luffy convinced him to wait for the pirates at the other side however.

The next day a pirate ship with the front in the shape of a cat landed on the place Luffy knew it would. Luffy, Zoro, Nami and Usopp were all waiting on top of the hill. Luffy watched as the pirates ascended and then he suddenly fell back on his butt.

"What are you doing?" asked Nami with an annoyed expression.

"I'm leaving this boring stuff to you guys." said Luffy casually. Nami and Usopp cringed while Zoro gave him an odd look. "You guys need to get stronger."

Nami and Usopp paled while Zoro in contrast gave a confident smirk. Nami stomped to Luffy and grabbed his cardigan and shook him violently.

"I'M A NAVIGATOR! NOT A FIGHTER!" she yelled while shaking him. Luffy grabbed her hands and looked her in the eyes. She looked back and everyone could see she was scared.

"I'll be here." he reassured her. "If I see that you're in trouble I'll help."

She looked at him with uncertainty.

"Besides, Usopp put all those traps, so you'll be fine!" he finished, with a small smile.

She sighed and turned to the pirates who had almost reached the trap and were just about beginning to notice them. One could tell that the two weaker members were nervous.

"Hey pirates! Come to kill us?" Luffy suddenly yelled out and waved to the pirates. All of them noticed. Usopp and Nami turned even paler.

At that moment pirates started running towards them, which of course didn't work too well considering that the next part of the path was covered with oil and small iron spikes. The pirates that ran over the oil mostly slipped and fell down the slope.

Some pirates continued and walked over those that fell, a few used their weapons to help them get across. Usopp used his slingshot to take out such pirates, but he wasn't particularly fast, so a few of them reached him, however …

"**Santoryu: Onigiri!**" Zoro yelled and slashed three pirates and sent them flying down the slope. Usopp, having seen his monstrous strength for the first time now, was stunned.

"You're THAT strong?!" he yelled out. Luffy simply grinned.

"He's Roronoa Zoro after all!" he said with a proud smirk and folded arms. "The greatest swordsman of East Blue!"

Usopp's eyes bulged out.

"THE Roronoa Zoro?!" he asked yelling. However a few of the men again managed to get across to him and he turned around and ready for the worst, but when he did he saw them flying.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" he yelled and turned around and he saw a sitting Luffy with a clenched fist, but otherwise he was in the same position.

"Pay attention to your fight, Usopp. We'll talk later." Luffy said to the baffled Usopp who had no idea what just happened.

After a bit more fighting, the small fries were all down the slope, laying on their backs, mostly bloodied and/or exhausted from attacking. The captain, Jango the Hypnotist was slowly starting to panic, so he hypnotized his men.

"When I say ONE, TWO, JANGO you will become stronger, faster and you will fear no pain. **ONE, TWO, JANGO!**" he told them.

Afterward, their eyes changed and their muscles bulged. One of them punched a nearby cliff and a part of it cracked and fell apart. The three defenders cringed at the display of raw strength. Zoro glanced at Luffy, who was disinterested and was looking at his nails for some reason.

Jango ordered his minions to attack and they ran towards the defenders. A few of them fell down again on the oil and the rest ran across them, trampling them underneath their shoes.

Zoro was barely containing those that tried to run past him, while Usopp and Nami were completely overwhelmed and most of the pirates were able to get by them.

Seeing this, Luffy finally stood up. This action alone seemed to stop the hypnotized pirates in their tracks.

"**Gomu gomu no Muchi!**" he yelled out and stretched his right leg like a whip and sent all those who managed to get past his allies down the slope again. He smirked at the disbelieving faces of his enemies and allies alike.

"Start over." he said and sat down again. Usopp gaped at him like a fish, while Nami and Zoro were honestly not that surprised anymore.

It of course made Jango panic even more and he called his trump card, the Nyaban brothers. They were pretending to be weak and scared of Zoro and Sham, the smaller one, used this act to snatch two of Zoro's katana and threw them down the slope. Luffy sighed when seeing this.

Zoro would have easily defeated both of them with all three of his swords, but with just one he was barely defending himself. Nami ran down the slope, attempting to get the swords. She got them, but Jango slashed her shoulder with his chakra and she fell on the floor, clutching her arm. At this moment, the real captain of the Black Cat pirates chose to appear.

"WHAT'S THIS?!" he yelled in anger and all the pirates started shaking in fear.

Jango of course quickly launched into an explanation on how the Strawhats were stronger than they thought and that they set a trap. Kuro wasn't particularly amused by the explanation, but he allowed them five minutes to finish the fight.

That of course wouldn't work. Nami stood up with the swords in her hands and threw them towards Zoro, who caught them. Jango noticed too late, but didn't do anything about her afterward, not perceiving her as a large enough threat and not seeing the addition of two extra swords as anything game-changing.

Luffy relaxed when he saw that and plopped back to the floor. Kuro looked at him at bit confused. Nami, Jango and Usopp continued to watch the battle. The Kuroneko pirates did the same, although they were much more nervous about it. Zoro, as expected, dealt with the both of them easily enough.

Just as he finished, Kuro announced that it was time to kill everyone. But then, Kaya arrived and Kuro, thinking she was there to try to sneak attack him, tried to slash her. Just in time, Usopp tackled her to the ground.

Kuro then used his Stealth Foot technique to try and kill them both, but a hand grabbed his wrist. Kuro then yelled in pain as the man in the Straw Hat broke his wrist.

"Why you … bastard!" he screamed at the man and attempted to cut him, only hitting air every time.

To the astonishment of everyone present, Luffy didn't seem to move much. Kuro was furious at him and kept striking more and more wildly at him, hoping to get lucky and cut him, but nothing like that would happen, much to his misfortune. The other battles were done now and the remaining foes watched alongside the Strawhats and Kaya as Luffy humiliated Kuro more and more with each passing minute.

Then Kuro jumped back and calmed himself a bit. Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

Then Kuro started swaying left and right in a creepy way.

'This seems familiar … ' thought Luffy.

"**Shakushi!**" the man yelled and disappeared. The Straw Hats and Kaya, along with the three kids, who watched from the forest were confused, while the pirates down the slope were visibly terrified, right along with their captain, Jango.

Luffy watched as Kuro descended down the slope and attacked random things along the way. The pirates screamed in horror and some tried to run away. Jango was completely pale and clearly didn't know what to do anymore.

'This technique is as fast as your average 'Soru', but he doesn't have any idea who he's attacking. He doesn't see anything." Luffy thought as he prepared to intervene. He unsheathed his sword and activated his own 'Soru'. He dashed ahead and blocked all five of Kuro's 'claws' with his blade. He looked at a horrified Kuro straight in the eyes. The man behind him fell on his butt in fear.

"Too slow." Luffy commented and Kuro's eyes widened. Everyone was startled by this new development.

'Why did he defend them?' Nami thought. Despite seeing that Luffy was somewhat different from your average pirate, she still thought he would ultimately do only things that benefited him. And she failed to see anything good from defending enemy pirates.

'Wow.' was all that went through Usopp's head. He was in awe of their speed.

'Damn, my captain really is not only strong but fast as well.' thought Zoro as a small smile formed on his lips. 'Maybe that Yonkou comparison wasn't complete bullshit.'

"You should have let me kill them." Kuro said as he regained his composure somewhat. "They are completely useless pawns. They are better off dead."

He looked back and his fearful subordinates and he smirked. But as he looked at Luffy he saw that the man clearly was not amused by his statement.

"And whose fault is that?" Luffy asked with an annoyed voice. "You wanted pawns, you got pawns. You suck at being a pirate, Kuro. No wonder you're quitting."

Usopp and Zoro smirked at his words, while Nami wore a puzzled expression. Kuro was surprised at his words. He finally stepped back and Luffy finally no longer had to restrain him, but he didn't sheath his sword. He did, however ease his posture somewhat. He pointed with his sword at the hill.

"You see those three?" he asked. He was of course referring to his two crew members and his soon to be crewmember. "They held back your crew with hardly any help from me. And I found them all three in a week."

Zoro's chest swelled in pride, Nami blushed at the compliment and Usopp took his usual captain posture, while telling Kaya how brave and awesome he was. Luffy chuckled in amusement. Then he looked back at his adversary.

"And you, _Captain_ Kuro," Luffy continued, spitting the word captain like a curse. " … are a really bad captain. No pirate worth his name harms his nakama."

Hearing this, Kuro actually started to laugh, earning a glare from Luffy.

"Nakama?" Kuro asked. "What nakama? All I see are stupid pirates. Pawns, who are only good enough to live and die at their captain's command."

Luffy's eyes darkened upon hearing this. "Usopp is a better captain than you ever were."

Kuro snorted.

"That kid? It's all a stupid game! He never even left the village! He's playing!" Kuro yelled in frustration.

"Not right now he isn't." Luffy said in a low tone. Kuro tried to slash him, but Luffy stopped every attempt.

"Ri-ght." Kuro snorted. "Because he's doing something now, that makes him a better pirate! And he's always on about his worthless father!"

Luffy looked up and saw Usopp stiffen. He laughed.

"His father is probably has a bounty five times bigger than you, moron." he seethed. This angered Kuro.

"Why you bastard!" he yelled out.

Kuro then attempted once again to execute his random attacking technique, but he was stopped before he began. Luffy infused **Ashita no Kamashimi** with haki and hit the swords. Like he thought, the blades were of rather poor quality. They may have looked exquisite, but they were obviously not made by a very skilled smith. Even when attacked by a skilled powerful using haki, a good blade would not usually break, even when used by a weakling. The user would be pushed back, or he'd lose his grip or whatever, but a good blade would not break so easily. Kuro's blades were clearly not very good then, as all five of them were neatly cut in half.

Kuro lost the last of his composure and yelled in frustration, "MY PLAN CANNOT FAIL!"

He attempted to cut Luffy with the blades on the other hand, which were again blocked. He pulled his other hand back.

"Gomu gomu no Pistol!" he yelled out and delivered a devastating punch straight to his face, breaking his glasses. His enemy fell backwards.

There was complete silence. Everyone watched captain Kuro, but he didn't rise again. With one punch he was completely finished. The pirates were panicking.

"W-Who the Hell are you?" asked one of them. Luffy turned toward him.

"I'm Monkey D Luffy and I'm the man who's going to be the pirate king. Remember my name."

Luffy sheathed his sword and walked towards his fallen enemy and grabbed him by his shirt .. and then threw him toward Jango and the others.

"GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" he yelled at them. "LEAVE AND NEVER RETURN!"

They picked up Kuro (despite him trying to kill everyone) and ran towards the ship, quickly boarded and in less than a minute they were already sailing away.

Luffy grinned in contentment.

* * *

_Why isn't Luffy helping them? Well, if he fought, the battle would be over almost immediately and the crew would gain nothing from that and neither would he. Hell, he could use the king's haki and knock out everyone including Kuro, but how how would that make his crew stronger? In the end it would only make it easier for him to lose them._

_Why doesn't Luffy need to use Gear Second to use Soru? Well, when Luffy first used Gear 2nd, Blueno commented that "not only was he able to replicate the techinque, but he also made his body strong enough to withstand it" and that IMHO is what Gear Second does. I mean, think about it: Gear 2nd improves speed, reaction speed and strength by speeding up bloodflow, similar to doping. Suro is used by kicking the ground a hundred times in a second or whatever, but Luffy's body was never trained for it so Luffy couldn't react at such speeds without Gear 2nd. After training hard for many years however, it should work without. I'm not saying Gear 2nd does nothing now. Gear 2nd in my story will allow him to reach even greater speed to be able to compete with the likes of Kizaru or Akainu. Anyway, that's my theory._

_Anyway, next up is Baratie, where in my opinion the real fun begins._


	11. Sailing with the Going Merry

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**11. Sailing with the Going Merry**

"This is the Going Merry! Do you like it?" asked Merry, trusted servant of Kaya.

"You're giving it to us?" asked Zoro. Kaya nodded.

"Of course. You saved our village and our lives. It's the least I could do. Besides, I don't really need a ship." Kaya explained.

Luffy looked at the ship in wonder.

'Merry, it's great to see you again.' Luffy thought. 'And undamaged.' Then his face fell as he remembered what happened to it, but then he smiled. 'You may not be able to go with us to the New world, but I'll make sure you get us to Water 7 safely.'

"Arigato." he then said simply. "I love it."

Kaya just smiled. Then she heard some commotion and turned around. She saw Usopp rolling down the hill with a huge backpack. When he almost reached the sea, Zoro and Luffy stopped him with his feet, but unfortunately they hit his face.

"Umm … Thanks." Usopp mumbled, touching the giant bump on his face. Luffy and Zoro jumped on the ship, while Nami was already on it.

"Anyway guys, see you some day on the sea. We may be friends, but when we meet-" Usopp tried to say.

"What are you going on about?" interrupted Luffy.

"Get on!" yelled a smirking Zoro.

Usopp mumbled something under his breath while giving a surprised face. Kaya and Merry just laughed.

"We're already nakama!" said Luffy. "Come with us!"

Usopp's eyes bulged out in surprise, but the he lifted his arm.

"I'm the captain!" he yelled out.

"Only if you beat me in a duel!" said Luffy. Zoro laughed loudly as Usopp's face fell.

"Vice-Captain then!" he yelled out again. Luffy shook his head.

"That's Zoro!" he told Usopp and they all laughed as his face fell again. "But you can be our sniper and inventor! And you can replace Zoro when he's asleep, which is pretty much all the time."

"OI!" yelled Zoro, trying to appear angry, but he couldn't hide his smile. He boarded the ship and they all waved to Kaya, Merry and the three kids, who were on top of the hill.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" one of them asked.

"I'm sure he will!" said another. "He's captain Usopp after all!"

The third smiled and nodded.

"Even so, I'm glad he's with those powerful guys!" he said.

After a few minutes of sailing, The Straw Hat pirates were finally officially formed (again) as Usopp painted their Jolly Roger for the first time (again). However, after painting the sail, Luffy gave him a few black flags and ordered him to repeat his work. Needless to say, Usopp was pretty exhausted that day.

* * *

At night, a few hours later …

* * *

Nami had watch duty. Usopp and Zoro were in the men's quarters sleeping, while Luffy fell asleep next to her and someone covered him with a blanket. Nothing was happening, but then she heard Luffy mumbling in his sleep.

"No, no, not again!" he mumbled. "Stop it! Get away from them, Akainu!"

'Akainu … ' she thought. ' … that name sounds familiar … '

"No, don't come near my brother!" he mumbled while trashing around, fighting invisible enemies.

"NO, ACE!" Luffy suddenly screamed, scaring her half to death, but then he woke up in cold sweat. He started looking around and had an absolutely terrified look on his face, unlike anything else she saw on his face. He was always composed and smiling, he always had a look of absolute confidence, but now he looked like his world has just crashed down around him. He seemed so ... broken. After a few moment he calmed himself, not noticing her. (He was on lookout duty during the day and after that he fell asleep up there and they didn't move him.)

"Who's Ace?" she asked and he yelped, not expecting it.

"OI, Nami, you scared me." he mumbled.

"Who's Ace, Luffy?" Nami asked again. Luffy sighed.

"Ace is my brother." Luffy answered after a few moments.

"Is he a pirate?" she asked, genuinely interested. Luffy nodded.

"Ace is the 2nd division commander of the Whitebeard pirates." he told her. Her eyes bulged out in shock.

"Whitebeard? You mean great pirate Whitebeard?" she asked. He simply nodded. She wanted to ask something else, but Luffy beat her to it with words of his own.

"I know what you're planning." he told her and upon hearing those words she paled and started sweating.

"W-What … What are you talking about, Luffy?" she said, trying to appear innocent, but it was obvious it didn't work too well.

"I saw your mark." Luffy said quietly and her eyes widened and she stood up abruptly. She wanted to say something, anything, to stop this conversation, but no words would come to her, as she was too nervous under his watchful gaze. Then she touched her shoulder, where the tattoo was.

"It's obvious you hate him. " he continued. "But you must be trapped somehow. Does he have your family?"

She didn't say again, but she lowered her head and he could see a tear slipping down her face. He sighed.

"Take the ship." he suddenly said. She lifted her head and looked at him like he grew another head.

"E-Excuse me?" she asked.

"You're collecting money, right?" he asked and she nodded. "I've put on this ship half of my money, which is 6.000.000 Berry."

Her eyes widened. 'That will be enough.' she thought. 'I'll have the hundred million now.'

He sighed again.

"Take the ship, take the money and give it to him. Get your family back." he said to her. "We'll follow you. If he betrays you, I'll kick his ass."

* * *

During the day, a few hours later …

* * *

"Hey Usopp, can you hit that giant rock with the cannon?" Luffy asked and motioned toward the 'rock', which was the size of a small island.

"Yosh!" Usopp proclaimed and took his Captain stance. He lit the cannon and hit the rock with the first try. He was somewhat surprised at this himself, but he soon forgot about that when they heard screaming.

"Hey guys!" Luffy yelled. "Let's go over there to that rock! Someone screamed!"

They obeyed and tried to bring the ship close, but their thought process was interrupted when someone, namely Johnny, jumped on the ship and tried to slash Luffy. When he was just about to destroy a part of the fence, Luffy punched him, sending him toward the mast. He really didn't want Merry to get damaged so soon, even if it was just a fence. Johnny picked himself up (Luffy didn't use too much power.) and lifted his katana again when Zoro called out to him.

Johnny recognized him and finally calmed down.

Then Nami fixed his partner Yosaku's scurvy problem and in gratitude, the duo promised to treat them at the floating restaurant while also mentioning that Dracule Mihawk was sighted somewhere nearby.

They left for the restaurant.

* * *

_Why didn't I describe the meeting with Johnny and Yosaku in more detail? It's not very important. Even in the original story, the only two things you get from that part are the fact that they need a cook and the location of said cook. Also I don't feel like repeating what everyone knows already. They might get a few actual lines though, if I'm feeling kind. xD_

_Now the next chapter I promise will be Baratie. That one will be quite a bit longer than the Kuro saga because there are three significant events that I cannot and will not skip. First, the requitment of Sanji, second meeting Sir Dracule Mihawk and third the battle with (or rather the massacre of) Don Krieg. It will most likely be double the size of the Kuro chapter and probably in two or three parts. You can expect the meeting with Mihawk to be extended and the fight with Krieg shortened for obvious reasons. _

_After that it's on to Arlong park, also one of my favorites, but that will probably fit in one chapter. Look forward to it._


	12. Don't mess with a cook of the sea

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**12. Don't mess with a cook of the sea**

"Who's the captain of this ship?" a pink-haired man in a white stripped suit asked.

Luffy stepped forward. "I'm Monkey D Luffy, Captain of the Straw Hat pirates."

The man seemed unimpressed.

"Your ship is an eyesore. Sink them." he announced and one of his men loaded the side cannon. He lit the fuse and fired.

Luffy jumped in front of the cannonball.

"**Gomu gomu no Fuusen!**" he yelled and became a balloon.

He caught the ball with his enlarged body and threw it back at them. The cannonball flew past the mast, missing it barely. Fullbody seemed shocked.

"If you try that again, I'm sinking you." Luffy announced in a casual tone as he hit the ground. He pointed toward the Baratie. "Get us there, guys. I'm hungry."

He went past Nami, who looked at him with uncertainty.

"Wait for the enemy to appear." he whispered in her ear. She nodded.

With that they approached the restaurant. After securing the ship, they left one of the two bounty hunters guarding it.

Luffy eyed the marine vessel suspiciously, but the annoying marine lieutenant made no move to attack, no doubt scared. Even so, he did not change his course and still headed for the restaurant.

Luffy sighed in relief when Fullbody exited the ship and headed to the restaurant entrance. When the door closed behind him, Luffy and the group followed.

For the special occasion (you don't recruit such an excellent cook twice) Luffy wore a red captains cloak, very similar to the one Gold Roger once wore, on top of his cardigan. He opened the door and entered, followed by Johnny, who was there to treat them, as well as the rest of his nakama.

When he entered, all attention shifted to him for some reason for a moment. It may have been his powerful aura, but Luffy didn't particularly care at this point. Johnny pointed to an empty table and Luffy shrugged and went there.

They waited for a few moments and then he arrived. Sanji.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Fine, shitty captain! I'll make you some meat, just make sure you take this to Nami-swan and Robin-chwan!" Sanji said and handed him a platter with delicious looking snacks._

_He eyed the snacks longingly and looked at Sanji. He sighed._

"_I'm sure the ladies will give you some. Just ask them first."_

_Luffy nodded and smiled._

* * *

'The best cook in the world.' Luffy thought and almost teared up. Sanji looked at him and sighed in irritation.

"What do you want to order?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"MEAT!" Luffy practically screamed. Sanji looked at him wide-eyed, not knowing whether to laugh, sigh or slap the bastard. He settled for the second.

"Give me lots of meat!" Luffy repeated. Sanji nodded and murmured an insult under his breath. He turned to the rest of them and noticed Nami and his visible eye immediately turned into a heart.

"Ah, what beauty!" he sang out and kissed her hand. "I think I'm in love! What is your name, oh beautiful lady?"

"It's Nami!" said orange-haired navigator answered.

"I'm Sanji, my love!" he proclaimed while dancing around her in his love induced state. Patty and another cook in the background both sighed and face-palmed.

"So what can I get you?" Sanji asked.

"Just a light treat. Something with fruit." she answered. "And I'd really appreciate it if I didn't have to pay ..."

"Haiii, Nami-san! I can't really ask such a beauty to pay!" he answered. She smiled sweetly. He turned to the rest of them and his demeanor changed considerably.

"What do you shitheads want?" he asked. They were taken aback by his rudeness, but nonetheless started to order things.

"Hey Sanji!" a childish voice called after he took all the orders. "Bring me meat soon, okay?"

Sanji almost bit his cigarette in half in irritation.

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

Sanji walked to the table alongside two other cooks. They brought lots of meat for Luffy as well as takoyaki for Johnny, some sake and sushi for Zoro, a big sandwich for Usopp and a fruit treat for Nami, which he proceeded to put in front of her along with a rose. He was then interrupted from his noodle dance by an annoying costumer.

"Hey waiter!" Fullbody called, unaware of how dangerous it was to annoy a sea cook. Sanji sighed and excused himself from the table and stomped irritated toward the marine lieutenant.

"Like I said before, I'm not a waiter, I'm a cook." he said to the man, but his words were completely ignored as the man motioned toward his dish.

"Hey, does this restaurant serve bug soup or something?" the man said.

"Huh?" Sanji asked. "Bugs?"

Fullbody punched the table lightly.

"Then what is this bug in my soup?" he asked and pointed toward the bug in his soup. Sanji's lip twitched slightly. He couldn't resist it.

"I'm sorry, sir, but I don't know." Sanji replied smugly. "I'm not much of an expert on bugs myself."

The entire restaurant was listening to their conversation and with those words many started to snicker in amusement, including Fullbody's date. Luffy laughed loudly in the background.

"Nice one, Sanji." he complimented. Even though Luffy wasn't a pretty lady, Sanji couldn't help but smirk proudly. Fullbody of course was in rage and he stood up abruptly and punched the table, destroying it and the plates, spilling the soup, the wine and pissing off a sea cook.

'Uh-oh!" Luffy thought as Sanji's eyes darkened.

"Can money fill your stomach?" Sanji asked suddenly. Fullbody had a confused expression.

"I said … " Sanji asked again. "Can money fill your stomach?" Luffy watched amused as his future cook kicked the crap out of an arrogant marine officer. Then he held him by the neck, bloodied as he was.

"Messing with a cook of the sea is a good way to get yourself killed, shitty marine!" Sanji growled.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Don't touch our Long-nose, shitty marine!"_

* * *

It was good to see Sanji again.

"Hey guys, " Luffy said, getting the attention of his three crewmates. "I think that's our cook!"

He grinned. He heard Zoro mutter a curse under his breath. Then they were all interrupted from their thoughts as several cooks arrived on the scene and got Sanji off Fullbody and restrained him as the idiotic marine continued to spew insults whilst being scared half to death by the restrained cook.

"Fighting again in my restaurant, eh bloody ingrate!" a voice said. Sanji calmed down somewhat.

"Owner Zeff!"

'Finally, the owner,' Fullbody thought, ' … finally someone sen-'

He was interrupted from his thoughts by a kick with a wooden leg.

"YOU'RE ANOTHER ONE!" the owner yelled. "GET LOST, BRAT!"

"Even the owner!" Fullbody roared. "Even the owner of this crazy place doesn't respect his costumer. You won't get away with this!"

Then, he and the fuming Sanji who once again had to be restrained by the chefs were interrupted by another voice.

"Lieutenant Fullbody, Sir!" yelled a marine and saluted. Fullbody turned around.

"What is it?" he seethed. The marine seemed frightened.

"Sir, the prisoner has escaped!" yelled the marine. Fullbody's eyes widened. "He took out most of the guards. When I left-"

A gunshot pierced his chest. The marine fell down on the ground. A few costumers screamed. Behind him was a pale looking man who looked like he didn't sleep for a month. He nonchalantly stepped over the fallen marine and went to the nearest empty table and sat down. All eyes were on him. He looked around.

"Bring me some food!" he yelled. "This is a restaurant, isn't it?!"

"Oh, a costumer!" Patty yelled out in joy.

Apart from that, everything stayed quiet. Fullbody silently dragged himself toward the exit as the attention was no longer on him.

Patty stepped in front of Gin and asked him if he has any money.

Gin asked if a bullet was okay and Patty responded by slamming him into the ground and throwing him out, earning cheers from most cooks as well as costumers.

The commotion was over and the cooks went to their respective workplaces. Luffy noticed how Sanji lingered on a bit, but then followed them and returned quickly, with a place of food and then stepped outside. Luffy followed him.

Luffy stepped outside and watched what would happen. Gin lay on the deck on his stomach, muttering silent curses. Sanji placed the plate of food in front of him. Gin refused at first, but Sanji convinced him otherwise by telling him that by eating today he would be able to see tomorrow. Gin started to eat and was so moved by the kindness that he started to cry. Sanji finally noticed the man behind him.

"And you?" he asked. "What do you want?"

Luffy shrugged. "I was curious what you'd do."

Sanji lighted himself a smoke.

"When you're alone at sea and have nothing to eat or drink, it's terrible." he started. "It's the most terrible feeling in the world. That's why I can't stand to see someone starving. Even if the old geezer fires me I still won't stand for it."

They stood there silently watching the ocean for a few moments as Gin ate. When Gin was finally finished he put the plate on the ground. He looked up to Sanji.

"What's your name?" he asked him. Sanji smiled softly before answering.

"It's Sanji."

"Thank you, Sanji-san! It was good!" Gin said bowing his head. Sanji just grinned in response. Then Gin turned to Luffy, who was still looking at the sea.

"I can't help but notice your coat. You're a pirate aren't you? What's your name?" he asked him. Luffy nodded.

"I am. My name is Monkey D Luffy. I'm going to be the pirate king!" Luffy answered. The other man looked at him somewhat surprised by his words.

"So you must be going to the Grand Line then, eh?" Gin asked after a few moments. Luffy nodded. "Listen, it isn't my place to prevent you from going, but I thought I should at least warn you. That place is a nightmare."

"But I have to go there!" Luffy announced. "It's my dream. Shouldn't a man follow his dream?"

Sanji looked struck deep by his words and Luffy noticed this, so he continued.

"Besides, what was I supposed to do at home? Live from one day to the next? I'd prefer to do something more with my life, thanks."

Gin couldn't begin to argue with those words.

"Well, do what you like." he said and stood up. "As for me, I must return to my captain."

Sanji then asked him who his captain was and Gin answered that it was Don Krieg. They talked some more and Sanji told him to take on the boats, which Gin happily did as he didn't have any other choice. Then Zeff appeared.

"You gave him free food didn't you, lil' eggplant!" Zeff asked in an annoyed tone. Sanji's eye twitched.

"I'm sorry I got you in trouble, Sanji-san!" Gin apologized. Sanji shook his head.

"Gin, I-" he started.

"You didn't get him into trouble, Gin." Luffy interrupted and all three looked in his direction.

"After all, you paid." he said in a smug tone, as he handed a few coins to the cook. Gin looked ready to thank him, him but Luffy just grinned and waved his hand as if trying to hit a fly. They waved as his boat disappeared into the distance. Zeff went back into the kitchen wearing a small smile.

Luffy turned to Sanji.

"Join my crew." Sanji stared at him for a moment.

"I refuse. I have my own reasons to stay here." Sanji finally replied. Luffy put his head right into Sanji's face.

"No, I refuse." he announced.

"What?" Sanji asked bewildered.

"I refuse your refusal!" Sanji just stared. "You're a great cook, you can fight and I like you. You MUST join!"

Sanji looked ready to pull his hair out.

"Hey, listen to me!" Sanji almost yelled in frustration.

"So what's your reason?!" Luffy asked.

"I don't need to tell you!" yelled Sanji.

'Can't resist … ' thought Luffy and his lips twitched a little.

"BUT YOU TOLD ME TO LISTEN!" he yelled.

"ARRRRRGGGG!"

* * *

_When doing a time travel fanfiction, people many times keep almost everything the same. That in my opinion, makes no sense. How would you remember EVERY. SINGLE. DETAIL. and do everything EXACTLY the same as the first time? And why would you do that? Also why would Luffy crash once again into the Baratie if it was completely unintentional the first time? Yet, fanfiction writers still do it. Why I have no idea ... Keeping everything the same is the easiest and the hardest thing to do at the same time. There is hardly any imagination involved and it gets tedious and boring as hell. Believe me, I tried to do a fic of Marineford war with PT Luffy and I barely got to the point where he jumped of Moby Dick! _

_One other thing. I don't get it when writers do a time travel fic such as mine with a supposedly very powerful Luffy with haki, but then make the enemies stronger. Then the excuse is often that the fights have to be challenging, otherwise it won't be interesting. Then you get Don Krieg fighting equally with Luffy (+devil fruit mastery+haki+experience+memories) somehow in an almost identical battle, the only difference being some lines being different. For me, the entire point of a time travel fic is an overpowered Luffy plus a difference. If you can't make an overpowered character work then you shouldn't be writing such a story._

_Please forgive me, but I had to. xD I'll stop this useless and random rant now._

_On to more important things. Namely pairings. Two reviewers have already asked about them, so I'll repeat what I said to them. There most likely won't be any romantic pairing. If there is, it'll be Luffy plus either Nami, Robin or Hancock. Even if I decide for romance, there won't be any lemons of any kind or any actual romantic drama (nothing major at least). As for friendship, I'll decide as I go along, but I'll probably do something with each nakama. I've already decided what I'll do with one such friendly relationship, which is with Robin (got a good idea there, but I won't spoil it). Overall, LuffyxRobin is most likely for any romance, but don't count on it. I don't like writing romance and I probably suck at it too. Actually I'd give romance less than 20% chance of appearing. Any romance that doesn't include Luffy has 0%, since the story is about him._

_So from the above you can probably figure out that the like in "You're a great cook, you can fight and I like you. You MUST join!" is absolutely NOT meant in any sort of romantic way. _

_I talk too much. Way too much._


	13. Foul play Krieg and Foul Mood Luffy

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**13. "Foul play" Krieg and "Foul Mood" Luffy**

"My ship is a mess and I want a new one. Leave after you cook for my men and I won't hurt you. I won't guarantee the safety of anyone who stays behind." Don Krieg announced in an arrogant voice.

Luffy sighed in annoyance, as he looked at the fallen figures of both Sanji and Gin, who were both laying wounded on the ground. Then he looked at the annoying face of Don Krieg, who was on the ground begging only moments ago until Sanji fed him, knowing full well what would probably happen after.

He was the only one who remained seated. The cooks and costumers were all standing, keeping guard of any possible things Krieg might do. Zoro and Usopp stood on the balcony. Nami was on the ship, probably trying to get Yosaku and Johnny off it.

Then Krieg ordered the cooks to give him food for 100 people, who were starving on his barely standing ship. Sanji complied and the cooks confronted him, tried to stop him, calling him Krieg's lackey. They probably thought he was afraid of him, but Luffy knew better. Sanji wasn't a man who would fear another man easily or at all.

Then Patty punched Sanji to the ground and tried to take out Krieg with a hand-held cannon, which of course didn't work too well. Krieg then finally revealed the reason he was any good of a pirate (even if he wasn't) and that was his gold-colored metal armor with a hundred weapons in it.

'Franky is much cooler.' Luffy thought.

Then Krieg started talking about how his word is law and how everyone must obey him if they want to live. Luffy rolled his eyes in irritation. It's not that his tolerance for such people was that low. He was surprisingly patient with people, given his impulsive and reckless personality. But he wasn't really having a very good day.

* * *

_Flashback (last night):_

_Luffy was in a cell, his hands and feet bound by seastone cuffs and connected with the wall, giving him very little space to move. Then he heard chuckling. First it was faint, then it grew louder and louder. Luffy stiffened as he recognized the voice. He heard the door open. A man entered the cell. Luffy looked up._

"_Well, well, Dragon's son!" Admiral Sakazuki said in a sarcastic tone. "You're looking well today, aren't you … Mugiwara?!"_

_Luffy just stared back at him with a scowl. He chuckled._

"_Don't look at me like that now, Mugiwara no Luffy. I have a present for you today." he said with a creepy grin. Luffy's eyes widened. He knew something horrible was about to happen. Two marines entered the cell and got his off the wall, but kept his cuffs on of course. Luffy struggled when they forced him to walk, but it wasn't enough. They traveled a long corridor and when they got outside, Luffy noticed the familiar surroundings. There were marines everywhere and as he walked they snarled at him, laughed, cursed his name, insulted his friends and whatever horrible thing they could imagine. Then Luffy noticed why the place seemed familiar. He saw the Ox Bell. This was Marineford. _

_He screamed, but his screams were muffled. He had cloth in his mouth. Then they stopped. Sakazuki turned around and grinned. He pointed somewhere. Luffy followed his finger. What he saw horrified him. There were ten people kneeling on the floor, cuffed. Then Akainu walked towards them slowly. Luffy tried to run to stop him, but he was held back by many marines. He tried to scream, but nothing would come out except muffled sounds. Akainu reached the first person. It was Ace. His fist turned into lava. Luffy tried extra hard to do anything that could help his brother, but he couldn't do nothing._

_A magma fist ran through the body of Ace and came out of his bare chest. Luffy's eyes widened. His mind screamed. He failed again. He looked at Ace's face._

"_I'm sorry, my brother. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he whispered and Luffy barely heard him._

_'NOOOOOOOOO! ACEEEEEEEE!' Luffy's mind screamed._

"_Luffy … " someone close to him said. Luffy looked around and saw nobody familiar._

_Akainu walked toward him and pulled the gag out his mouth._

"_WHY? WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS!?" Luffy screamed at him. Akainu just chuckled._

"_Luffy … " another voice close by said. Again no-one. _

"_WHY NOT JUST KILL ME! IF YOU'RE GOING TO KILL THEM THEN KILL ME AS WELL!" he screamed on top of his lungs. Akainu chuckled._

"_LUFFY!" a voice screamed this time. It sounded kind of like Zoro, but Zoro was over there on the ground, on his knees. Luffy was sure he was losing it._

_Akainu started laughing. _

"_Oh no, Dragon's son. You're not going to die." Akainu said in a low threatening tone. "I'll make sure of that. You'll watch as everyone else you care about dies. But you'll live."_

_Luffy looked at him in absolute horror._

"_LUFFY!" again a voice screamed._

_Sakazuki laughed once again. _

"_That's your punishment, Monkey D Luffy. For the sin of being born."_

_Akainu walked back to the prisoners chuckling to himself all the while, already turning his fist into magma and Luffy screamed, unrestrained._

"_LUUUUFFY!" Usopp yelled. He felt pain on his cheek. _

_Then he woke up. _

_He was completely covered in sweat. He looked around, terrified. He saw the faces of his two male nakama staring at him worried. He put a hand on his chest. His heart was beating fast. _

_He ignored the questions of his friends. In fact he almost didn't hear them. All he could hear was the constant chuckling of the admiral. Needless to say, he did not sleep even a minute more that night._

* * *

"-You see, this armour is tougher than anything. It can withstand anything. Don't mess with the East Blue's greatest, Don K-"

"WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP!" Luffy interrupted. Everyone looked at him in shock, including Krieg.

"I didn't have any freakin' sleep in two days and now I have to listen to this stupid crap!" Luffy yelled. "Just shut the hell up and go back to your stupid ship, Don Kling or whatever the hell your name is, jerk."

Sanji blinked. This was totally different from yesterday, when Luffy was practically jumping around in joy. Luffy stood up, ignoring their shocked stares and walked up to another table, picked up a glass of water and spilled it on his head, then casually walked back to his table and plopped in his seat. In the corner of his eye he could see Zoro smirking.

He looked to Krieg. He could practically see the tick forming above his eye as he turned more and more red in anger. Then he exploded.

"YOU! YOU BRAT! HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT ME, THE GREAT DON KRIEG!" he yelled out in rage. He took a deep breath.

"But I guess it can't be helped." he said in a calmer tone with a smirk. One could see he was still mad, though. "You're too ignorant for your own good, brat. I'm Don Krieg, I'm the strongest man there is."

Luffy smirked.

"Really, Don Kribs?" he asked in a childish sounding tone, saying the name wrong on purpose. "I think you're the ignorant one. Haven't you ever heard about Whitebeard?"

He could hear a few of the cooks fail to suppress a snicker. Sanji chuckled. Then Zeff arrived and before Krieg could do anything else, he put a giant bag in front of him. Krieg gaped at him in confusion, the anger slowly leaving his face as he faced the owner.

"That's food for a hundred men!" Zeff clarified and turned around. "Take it and leave."

Then Krieg realized that Zeff was in fact 'Red leg' Zeff, a pirate famous for his leg fighting style Luffy watched in irritation as Krieg mocked Zeff for losing his leg and becoming a pirate because of that and Zeff denied that. Then Krieg demanded his ship log and Zeff blew him off, telling him he didn't deserve it.

"When I come back, I want the ship and the log." Krieg announced loudly. "Leave if you wish to survive.

"Owner Zeff" a cook exclaimed as Zeff and Krieg both prepared to leave. "Why did you give him the food? Now they'll attack our restaurant!"

Zeff turned around.

"Only if they have the courage. Right, mister Couldn't-get-through-the-Grand-Line?" Zeff replied. Everyone gasped. Krieg gritted his teeth.

"Even Don Krieg failed?" someone whispered.

"True, I couldn't get through." Krieg began. "But I'm Don Krieg and I'm the greatest. I had enough men and ambition. All I lacked was information."

Luffy chuckled lightly. Gin begun to shake and cover his face.

"But when I get that journal, I'll have that. And then I'll become the pirate king!" he announced. There was silence for a moment. Then everyone was startled by roaring laughter. Everyone turned to the only seated person on the ship and stared. The laughter calmed a bit and Luffy turned to face Krieg.

"You know, I never said I'd give you my future title!" Luffy told him. Krieg snapped.

"That's not funny, boy. It may have been just the lack of information, but even even my fleet only lasted seven days!" Krieg announced. Everyone gasped in disbelief, but the mocking smirk on Luffy's face didn't fade.

"So, who did you piss off?" he asked. Krieg turned around to leave.

"Like I said before, you'd better leave if you want to survive." he said and exited.

Then the cooks talked about why Zeff gave them food. Afterward Zeff told them to better leave, but none of them would (the customers left immediately after Krieg was gone). Then Gin talked about how great his captain was and how they should all escape. Then the conversation started about the grand line and Gin told them who was responsible for it. Zoro was on edge.

"You may have disturbed his nap." Zeff said. Gin growled.

"That's not funny!" he muttered.

Then Luffy stood up, gaining the attention of everyone, since he was quiet during the whole conversation. Eyes followed him as he walked to the entrance. He looked to the right and saw Nami throwing the two bounty hunters overboard. He smirked. Then he looked ahead. Krieg was just giving a speech to his men. Suddenly, he felt a powerful aura.

"He's here." he said. The cooks and Straw-hats looked at him in confusion.

"Who's here, Luffy?" asked Zoro. Luffy turned around and faced them.

"Dracule Mihawk." he said simply. "He's come to hunt his prey."

Then the ship behind him fell apart in two. He looked at Zoro who had his hand on his swords.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Will you fight him?" Luffy asked._

"_Yes. Even if I have no chance like you say, I still want to follow my dream. Don't interfere." Zoro answered._

_He sighed and nodded._

_"Fine."_

* * *

He heard Yosaku and Johnny yelling outside.

"Damn!" he cursed. "I'm not in the mood for all this."

* * *

_Oh yes, the mighty Don Krieg. And Luffy can be quite nasty when he's in a bad mood, as you'll continue to find out in this fanfiction._

_This chapter annoys me for some reason. While writing I felt like I repeated way too much stuff from the story that I didn't have to, but when I read it I found out that really wasn't the case. You see, repeating stuff that's already known is really tedious, annoying and boring (That's why I seriously don't get why people still do it). But anyway, next chapter few chapters should be a lot more fun to write._


	14. Royal Shichibukai, Sir Dracule Mihawk

**14. Sir Dracule Mihawk, Royal Shichibukai**

"You know, I'm not one of those idiots who would hunt rabbits using their all." Dracule Mihawk mocked as he took his cross-shaped pendant and opened it, revealing a tiny knife.

Zoro gritted his teeth, angered at the blatant disrespect the swordsman showed. Luffy too was angered by the Shichibukai, but decided to let it go, as Mihawk was probably just tired of random no-name swordsmen who constantly challenged him, much to his annoyance.

Mihawk and Zoro stood on the remains of Don Krieg's ship. Behind Mihawk was his small coffin-shaped boat. Luffy wondered how Mihawk navigated the Grand Line using that, but soon forgot about that, when Zoro started his attack.

He could see all movements clearly, but Zoro could not. He used the very best of his techniques, but Mihawk stopped every single attempt quite easily with his tiny dagger. Zoro was fuming and let his anger control him, which made everything worse. The great swordsman continued to mock Zoro with both words and actions. Then he struck.

Zoro looked down and saw the knife in his chest. A little bit deeper and the blade would take his life. Mihawk asked him why he fought. Zoro answered. He asked why he refused to step back and Zoro answered that question as well.

The warlord took the little blade out and put it back where it belonged. Luffy noticed that something changed in Mihawk's aura. The swordsman acknowledged Zoro's potential, just as Whitebeard acknowledged his during the great war after Luffy revealed his Haoshoku Haki.

The swordsman unsheathed his Black Blade from his back.

"Kid, tell me your name." he asked.

"Roronoa Zoro." he complied. Mihawk smiled a genuine for the first time since he arrived. "I'll remember that."

"As a gesture to a fellow swordsman, I'll use my true weapon, this Black Blade, to end your life." he said. Luffy knew that Mihawk wouldn't kill Zoro, but still he could barely restrain himself. He also had to restrain two other foolish swordsmen, who constantly wanted to jump in. He could also see Mihawk eying him a few times for some reason.

The swordsmen clashed. Mihawk emerged completely unharmed. Zoro's two regular blades cracked and fell apart. He got a big cut on his chest.

"I lost. Just like Luffy said I would." he said and smiled without a grudge. Mihawk's eyes widened. 'Luffy? Why does that name sound familiar?'

Zoro sheathed his sword and turned around.

"What are you doing?" Mihawk asked. Zoro smirked.

"Attacking from behind is a shameless act among swordsmen."

And then he cut him. Blood flowed freely. Zoro's blood.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Luffy ran across the deck, trying to find anyone alive. Zoro was on the grass deck, clutching his Wado Ichimonji with his right hand. His body was almost entirely covered In burns. The grass was covered with dead marines, most of whom looked powerful. Among them, Luffy recognized three vice-Admirals. The grass was covered in blood. Zoro's face was almost the only part of his body that was not burned. It was covered in blood. _

* * *

Johnny and Yosaku had jumped in the water. Sanji yelled something to Zoro about his foolish ambition. Mihawk was sheathing his sword, but then he turned in the direction of the restaurant. He felt one of the most terrifying auras he had ever felt approaching him, fully intent on ending his life.

Luffy was seeing red. Seeing Zoro get cut by the great swordsman made something inside him snap. He forgot his memory. He swung his katana. It crashed with Mihawk's giant sword, which the great swordsman unsheathed just in time.

When the swords clashed, air exploded. The resulting shockwave sent most of the cooks flying back into the restaurant and many pirates into the sea. Usopp was on his butt being pushed into the wall on the deck of Baratie, staring shocked at the scene. The three figures that didn't move were Krieg, Sanji and Zeff. Amongst them, Krieg had the least difficulty in doing that and hid his shock behind an unconvincing smirk. As the two fighters struggled against each-other, the glass windows at the front of Baratie shattered. The wood beneath the fighters cried like it was in the worst kind of storm and tiny cracks started to appear. Zeff pointed toward something with his spare hand, while using his other one to shield his face. Sanji looked where his finger pointed and thought he was losing it. The clouds, which were abundant in the sky that day, have parted above the two fighters.

Finally, the pressure dropped as each of the fighters jumped back. That wasn't the end however, as immediately upon touching the ground, Luffy threw himself on Mihawk again. Each time their swords hit it felt like an explosion. Luffy didn't limit himself to using just his swords however. Using his devil fruit, Luffy used his legs and his free hand to try to get a hit on Mihawk. The Shichibukai noted this.

'This man is no swordsman. He seems to be primarily a user of free fighting style.' he thought as he fended off his opponent's strikes. The attacks were no doubt powerful, but being on the defensive, Mihawk had no trouble defending against most of them.

Then they heard violent loud coughing. Luffy jumped back and looked to his right. He saw Zoro being held above water by both of the pirate hunters. He looked back at Mihawk. His opponent noted that his eyes then lost all of their ferocity and rage. The only thing visible on his face was relief.

'This man … ' Mihawk thought to himself. 'It's him. There's no other explanation. It must be him.'

Both of the fighters sheathed their swords.

"Is Zoro okay?" Luffy asked as the two dragged his swordsman to the boat. They confirmed he was going to be okay and started treating his words. Mihawk stepped in the direction of the boat.

"It's still too early for you to die." the greatest swordsman in the world announced for all to hear. "My name is Dracule Mihawk. Find your true self, your true world and become stronger! No matter how long it takes, I'll await to you at the top. Surpass this sword. SURPASS ME! RORONOA ZORO!"

The cooks and pirates picked themselves up and watched in disbelief. Then Zoro announced his intention to do what Mihawk said and lifted his sword, announcing to his captain that he won't lose again. Luffy accepted his words with a grin. Mihawk turned to Luffy who was looking at his unofficial first mate.

"So you must be Monkey D Luffy." he said to him. Luffy tilted his head confused.

"How do you know that?" he asked him. The swordman chuckled.

"How would I not know! Red-Haired keeps talking about you." he told him. "Every time I visit him, he tells me about the scary seven-year old he's met."

Luffy laughed sheepishly. Everyone stared at him.

'So Red-Haired Shanks knows this boy?' Zeff asked himself. 'Whatever, I'm not really that surprised anymore … '

"Are you going to see him anytime soon? Could you tell him something for me?" Luffy then asked. Mihawk considered his words for a moment. The boy was a friend of Shanks. Although the request was a bit annoying, he was sure he'd visit Shanks soon anyway. Finally he nodded.

"Alright, thanks. Tell him that I'll-" Luffy started.

"HAWK-EYES!" Don Krieg then interrupted. "Didn't you come to take my head?"

Dracule Mihawk would forever wonder how idiots like this could be pirate captains. How could an East Blue weakling possibly find it a good idea to interrupt the conversation of two men, each of whom was proven to be perfectly capable of pulverizing him with no effort at all and of whom one was clearly not in the mood to forgive the interruption.

Mihawk has to suppress a chuckle as Luffy's entire face twitched in irritation.

"Give me a minute, Hawk-eyes." Luffy spoke in a badly faked calm tone. Mihawk nodded. Luffy unsheathed his sword and slashed forward.

"Akainami (Red wave)!" he announced and a light-red flying blade attack flew towards Krieg. The Don saw the attack coming, but it was way too fast and it hit him straight on. His armor was barely any help against it as the Red wave attack pierced straight through it. What's more, after the attack hit, the armor cracked and most of it fell off. The Don stood for a moment and then fell backwards. The Krieg pirates surrounded their captain and checked his vitals. Then Luffy growled and they looked at him.

"GET LOST, JERKS!" he yelled at them and they all fell on their butts.

The thought going through their heads was the same one. 'S-S-SCARY!'

Then he growled again and they panicked and all started jumping in the nearby boat, until they were all in it. Somehow the boat didn't sink.

"Hey!" Luffy yelled at them. "You forgot Kong!"

He kicked Don Krieg at the human pile and he crashed into them, sending many of them into the sea. They quickly got back on the boat and started rowing like crazy to get away.

As they were getting away, Luffy felt a presence behind him. It was a stupid looking large man with various shield on his body. He tried to take him out with a sneak attack.

"Armament." Luffy murmured. As the large man crashed his fist into his back, the force of his punch was returned to him by Luffy's haki and he was sent flying into the distance.

"NOOOO, PEARL-SAN!" someone yelled from the boat. Hawk-Eyes sweat-dropped. 'I know now why Shanks thinks this kid is scary.'

Then Luffy walked back to Mihawk, but did not face him. He looked at the boat with Zoro, Usopp, Yosaku and Johnny. Another twitch formed on his face.

"WHAT ARE YOU JERKS STILL DOING HERE?" he yelled at them. "GO GET NAMI OR I'LL PUNCH YOU THERE!"

They (except Zoro who was resting) too started rowing, while muttering how scary Luffy was.

"AND YOU!" Luffy turned to the cooks and they fell on their butts, except for Zeff and Sanji who just sweatdropped. "DO YOUR JOB! GO MAKE ME MEAT!"

'What is with this kid today?!' Sanji thought. Luffy then finally turned to Mihawk who took a step back.

"Tell him that I'll enter Paradise In about a week." Luffy continued their conversation as though they weren't interrupted in the first place. "Also tell him that I'm counting on him."

"What? About what?" Mihawk asked confused.

"Just tell him that. He'll know what I mean by that." Luffy answered. Mihawk nodded and took off. Luffy turned around and walked into the restaurant.

"Where. Is. My. Meat.?"

* * *

_If you're wondering about how long the fight between Luffy and Mihawk lasted, I'll answer that for you. Their first clash, when the sky parted only lasted a few seconds. Everything in that paragraph happened almost at once. The actual fight then lasted a few minutes. _

_Another thing. When Pearl attacked Luffy, Luffy didn't actually move. He just used haki to repell him, similar to how Whitebeard defended against Ace's killing attempts._

_Also, Luffy is VERY grumpy right now. He won't be like this all the time. Most of the time, he'll be the ball-of-joy Luffy we all know and love. The nightmare ruined his sleep, JUST AS SOME RETARDS RUINED MY ENTIRE DAY BY PLAYING SHITTY CRAP MUSIC AND TALKING RANDOM SHIT THROUGH A MICROPHONE JUST OUTSIDE THE STUDENTS HOME ALL DAY LONG! Seriously, they had the most shitty ass music I've ever heard and I have a headache now because of them. I hope they all die painfully. Phew, had to get that out. (And you should be angry too, since it deprived you of any more chapters as I couldn't even think properly with all that noise.)_

_Also, someone asked what would happen in the future regarding Ace, Blackbeard and Whitebeard. First of all, both Impel Down and Marineford will definitely happen. Ace WILL get captured. But, since this story is about a second chance, you can pretty much guess what will happen with Ace and BLackbeard. HINT: One of them will die! :D This sentence should tell you everything. Not sure what I'll do with Whitebeard though and not entirely sure about Akainu either. _

_Please review._

* * *

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	15. Anticipation

**15. Anticipation**

"I SLEPT SO WELL!" Luffy announced when he woke up. He stretched his arms and hit the wall with one, accidentally damaging it a bit. He giggled. Then he jumped off the bed and walked out of the room.

He entered the restaurant and looked around. There were costumers here again.

"Hey guys!" he yelled out. The cooks immediately paled. One of them ran up to Luffy and straightened himself, reporting like a soldier (except he didn't salute)

"We have your meat ready, sir!" he said.

"YAY!" Luffy exclaimed in joy. The cook looked at him oddly. Then Luffy noticed Sanji, who just brought some costumer some food.

"OI, Sanji!" he yelled to him. The cook cringed and took a step back, but didn't try to run as he knew it'd make things even more difficult. When he tried that yesterday, Luffy's attempts to recruit him became pretty violent.

"L-Luffy … " he stuttered and some of the regulars were confused, because they knew how rude Sanji usually was to men.

"Will you join me, Sanji?" Luffy asked. Sanji sighed.

"We've gone over this, Luffy. I can't join you, I even told you why." Sanji replied. "I won't leave until the old geezer acknowledges me as a good cook."

Luffy tried to speak and Sanji flinched.

"What is with you guys?!" Luffy asked while laughing. "You're acting like I'm some ultra scary guy!"

"YOU ARE!" every cook in the room yelled in unison.

"I am?" Luffy asked, staring dumbfounded. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Anyway, Sanji, after you stormed out yesterday, the old guy said that you are a good cook and he just says you aren't so that you'd leave and follow your dream."

Sanji just stared at him in shock. "He did?"

Then something crashed into the restaurant. Sanji, Luffy and a few cooks ran upstairs and saw Yosaku in the mouth of a shark laying on the floor.

"Yosaku!" Luffy said childishly with a pout. "Why didn't you tell me you were a merman!"

Everyone fell over.

"He's not a merman!" a cook said and slapped him. Luffy looked at him.

The cook fell on his butt.

* * *

_The cooks distorted memory:_

_After completely wiping out the Don Krieg pirates and his own pirates, as well as scaring away a Shichibukai, Luffy returned to the restaurant. _

_His eyes darkened and while breathing poisonous fire he yelled:_

"_WHERE. IS. MY. MEAT!?"_

* * *

"So scary!" the cook muttered, nearly catatonic, while Luffy poked him in the face.

* * *

A few hours and a teary goodbye later …

* * *

"Sanji, make us some food!" Luffy yelled, while taking a heroic pose, with his sword in his right hand.

"You know, you guys are way too casual for this. Arlong is dangerous." said Yosaku.

Sanji snorted.

"You're a moron, Yosaku. He may be dangerous, but didn't you see what Luffy did to Don Krieg?" he asked. Yosaku sighed.

"Point taken."

"Hey guys, who's Don Krieg?" Luffy asked after a while without moving from his pose. They both fell over.

"THE GUY AT THE BARATIE WHO YOU BEAT UP!" Yosaku yelled.

"Oh that guy! I beat that guy up good!" Luffy proclaimed proudly. "Serves him right for trying to rest while the rest of the cooks made my meat!"

They sweat-dropped.

"What?" asked Yosaku. Sanji lighted himself a cigarette.

"He's talking about a cook he beat up after he noticed he wasn't making any food for him!" he said and puffed out a smoke.

"WHAT?" Yosaku yelled. "Don't you remember the pirates that were there? You know Don Krieg, the pirate?"

"Huh?" Luffy asked. "But that guys name wasn't Don Krieg! It's Dracule Mihawk!"

"NO, THE OTHER ONE!" Sanji yelled. Luffy looked at him confused.

"You mean the one dressed like a yellow trashcan?" he asked. Sanji in Yosaku both blinked and blinked and blinked again … and then roared out in laughter.

After they calmed themselves and Yosaku wiped his tears, he finally asked.

"Luffy-aniki, why're you doing a posture?"

Luffy looked at him like the answer was completely obvious.

"Well, we need a bronze statue!" he proclaimed without moving.

" … bronze statue?" Yosaku repeated, while Sanji face-palmed. "Why are you doing a posture though?"

"Well we don't have one, so I'm trying to fill the part!" Luffy said proudly and knocked on his chest, then put his arm back into position.

"WHY WOULD WE EVEN NEED ONE?" Sanji yelled.

They watched as Luffy's face became more and more red. Then finally they asked.

"Why are you all red, Luffy-aniki?" asked Yosaku. Luffy looked at him and took a deep breath.

"I tried to think of a reason, but it hurts!" Luffy whined.

"What? Thinking?" Sanji asked In a deadpanned expression.

"Yes!" Luffy confirmed.

Then then both they into the cabin, Yosaku shaking his head and Sanji muttering curses about 'stupid shitty captains'. When they closed the door, Luffy erupted into laughter.

* * *

_Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter because I sure enjoyed writing it. Yes, this is the brighter side of Luffy's personality and probably the one that will appear most often._

* * *

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	16. The superior Fishman race

**16. The superior Fishman race**

"Help me, Luffy." Nami said desperately.

She tried to get her freedom on her own, but after telling Arlong that she has the money required, he acted quickly and sent Nezumi to retrieve it to stop her from leaving. His plan worked and Nezumi left with the money, leaving Nami desperate. Meanwhile, Usopp was busy trying not get killed, Zoro was cutting random fishmen and trying not to get lost and Johnny was being completely useless as usual.

After learning of Nami's misfortune with Nezumi, the villagers took up their weapons (well, not really weapons, just whatever sharp or large objects they could find). Yosaku and Johnny ran ahead, trying to defeat Arlong out of anger, but which was a mixed blessing since, well they got beat up but they also managed to prevent the villagers from getting themselves killed.

Luffy took his hat from his head and put it on Nami's head. Her crying stopped. She knew the hat meant a lot to him.

"Keep that safe and follow behind us." he whispered. He walked towards the rest of his crewmates.

"We're going." he told them. They all stood up. They walked towards Arlong park together, Luffy in front.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Luffy stepped over several marine bodies and found the body of Nami, but it was almost completely burned by magma. The only reason he even recognized her was because of her orange hair and clima-tact._

* * *

Luffy gritted his teeth and clenched his fist, unknowingly using armament and making it shiny black. An action that did not go unnoticed by the rest of his crew. As he approached the villagers, who were arguing with the pirate hunters, Luffy finally relaxed a bit, feeling Nami following far behind them.

'I won't make it repeat itself.' Luffy thought. 'I swear it.'

"Move it." Luffy commanded and the people moved aside, clearing a path for them. Luffy and the others moved forward and when they nearly reached, Luffy stopped for a bit.

"Listen guys, " he said quietly. "I need each of you to take an enemy down. Arlong has three lieutenants, an ideal number."

Usopp paled at this, knowing he couldn't avoid fighting.

"Zoro, you take the fishman with six arms. He's a swordsman, but don't kill him!"

Zoro nodded.

"Sanji, yours is the guy with weird things on his elbows. You'll now when you see him."

Sanji nodded.

"Usopp!" the sharpshooter cringed. "You take the guy with the big lips. Use whatever tricks you have, we aren't white knights. Be careful, the guy is very strong, but you'll be able to take him."

Usopp was shaking, but he nodded.

"Alright." Luffy nodded and started walking again. He heard annoying laughter ahead.

"**Armament.**" he murmured and without stopping, walked straight through the giant gates, leaving a human shaped hole in the gates. The three Straw-Hats all sweat-dropped and the rest of them had their jaws on the ground. After a second, the gates cracked and collapsed.

Arlong and his men blinked several times trying to determine whether what they saw had indeed happened.

Luffy stepped forward with his fist clenched.

"Which one of you is Arlong?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.

"Arlong?" a tough looking fishman with a saw-shaped nose answered. "That would be my name … "

Luffy launched forward and hit Arlong with his fist, sending him flying. The fishman crashed into a stone wall, destroying a part of it. Luffy made sure he didn't use any haki or too much strength.

"DON'T YOU DARE MAKE MY NAVIGATOR CRY!" Luffy yelled on top of his lungs.

"Your navigator?" Arlong replied mockingly. "And who the hell are you, anyway?"

"I'm Monkey D Luffy and I'm the future pirate king." he replied.

"Pirate king?" Arlong repeated. A few of the fishmen nearby snorted.

"Like a human like you could become pirate king!" one of them yelled and he along with most other fishmen attempted to attack Luffy, but they were kicked away by Sanji, who just arrived on the scene.

"Don't hog all the prey." he told his captain. Then said man sat down on the ground.

"What're you doing?" asked Sanji.

"I'm letting you take care of things." Luffy announced. He pointed at Arlong. "After you're done, I'm taking care of Ugly-nose over there."

"WHY YOU … human bastard!" Arlong yelled, gritting his teeth.

"How dare you insult Arlong-sama!" Kuurobi yelled out. Luffy just laughed.

"Sorry, sorry, Arpong." Luffy said in a completely insincere tone, mispronouncing the name on purpose. Kuurobi jumped to attack Luffy in anger, but was stopped by Sanji's kick. Zoro stepped forward to challenge Hachi. Usopp peaked from the corner of the building, then stepped forward and proudly raised his chest (while shaking).

"I, the great Captain Usopp-sama will take you on!" he announced, took his slingshot and shot Chew. The fishman was angered.

"WHY YOU!" he screamed and ran after Usopp, who was already far away from the park. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"You know … " Sanji begun. "I'm fine with us fighting, but that may be a little too much for Long-nose."

Luffy shook his head and waved his hand as if hitting a fly.

"Nah, " he said. "Usopp can take him. Besides, even if he does get a beating, I'd much rather have him get it sooner rather than later when the enemies will be far deadlier."

Zoro and Sanji blinked. 'Did he just say something smart?' they both thought. Then Hachi walked away toward the ocean, much to the confusion of Zoro.

He played his trumpet-like octopus mouth.

"MOOHMOO!" he called. After a few moments a gigantic sea-cow appeared out of the ocean.

"Mohmoo, take care of them!" he called out. The sea-cow menacingly looked over his targets, until his gaze ended on the boy with the straw hat, who was seated on the stone ground. It's eyes widened.

"Hey you!" Luffy yelled and waved. "I remember you!"

* * *

_Sea-cow's memory:_

_Mohmoo was just enjoying swimming around when he smelled something yummy. He swam towards the smell and came across the Baratie. On a balcony on the upper floor of the restaurant, a boy with a straw hat was sitting. He had many plates of meat on the large table. Mohmoo eyed the food hungrily and started drooling._

"_Why are you looking at my meat … " Luffy asked. _

_He stood up._

"_YOU WANT TO STEAL MY FOOD, HUH?! GET LOST, JERK!" Luffy yelled at Mohmoo and punched him, sending him flying._

* * *

Mohmoo started shaking and sweating and then swam away as fast as it possibly could.

"What's gone into him?" Luffy asked in a confused tone. Sanji face-palmed, remembering Mohmoo himself.

Then they clashed. Luffy watched as Zoro barely kept himself up because of the wounds. Despite this, Hachi clearly had no chance against him and was barely able to touch him. Kuurobi and Sanji were somewhat evenly matched. Sanji was faster and was able to dodge all attacks, but Kuurobi was stronger and managed to block many attacks using his arms and large elbows. Then Arlong stood up.

"OI, Nami, did you come to see me destroy those idiots?" he asked. "Shahahaha!"

True to his word, Nami stood in front of the villagers. Sanji looked towards her and Kuurobi used the distraction to send him flying through the wall with a heavy punch. Zoro did not allow himself to get distracted.

"No, Arlong!" she replied, holding her shoulder, which Luffy noticed was now bandaged. "I came to see you get beaten!"

Arlong laughed and as on a cue, Usopp came running back and Sanji slowly stood up and walked toward his opponent while muttering something about punches.

"You're stupid, Armbong!" Luffy then announced. "My guys are kicking your guys butts!"

Sanji, Nami and the villagers couldn't help but smile at the simple words, while Usopp raised his chest proudly and announced that 'Captain Usopp is the coolest warrior because he finished first'.

The battles lasted a few more minutes and then Zoro finally finished his fight with Hachi and shortly after that Sanji kicked Kuurobi straight through Arlong park. Then Luffy stood up.

"Yosh!" he announced in a childish tone. "Now that six-arms, wierd-elbows and big-lips are finished, I'll be taking ugly-nose over there."

While saying those last words he rudely pointed towards Arlong.

The man or rather the fishman was fuming.

'How dare he! First they kill my comrades, then he insults them.'

On the outside however, he appeared calm. He jumped towards Luffy, trying to bite him, but Luffy dodged and Arlong bit a column instead. The column cracked and was completely destroyed. Everyone was horrified at his strength, except Luffy, who was instead thinking about the celebration that would follow this.

"You see this! This is the true strength of a fishman! Humans will never be-" Arlong started.

"Then stop talking and show me." Luffy interrupted him. "If fishmen are so great, then you should have no problems with me, now?"

Arlong gritted his teeth in anger and launched forward. He used all kinds of attacks. He tried to punch, kick, bite and whatever he could think of, but Luffy dodged everything. And rather easily at that. Also, with every strike that missed, Arlong became more and more enraged.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. If as a fishman, you're that strong, why are you in the weakest sea then?" Luffy asked while dodging, fueling Arlong's anger even further.

"Shut up, human!" he yelled.

"Also why haven't you killed any admirals yet then?" Luffy asked again in a confused tone as he dodged a vicious looking kick.

"I'LL KILL YOU, HUMAN! I SWEAR I'LL KILL YOU!" roared Arlong and jumped into the water. Luffy looked at the pool and saw Arlong's fin.

"Ohh, a shark!" he yelled excitedly. Everyone fell over.

"**Shark-on-Darts**!" Arlong announced and jumped out of water, aiming for Luffy's heart with his nose. At first it seemed as if Arlong had succeeded and a few people screamed in horror, but upon closer inspection you could notice that Luffy was holding Arlong's nose with his hand.

"Get lost!" he yelled and threw him into Arlong Park. He crashed into it, but immediately jumped towards Luffy, attempting his signature attack a few more times. "YOU COWARD! ARE YOU DODGING BECAUSE YOU'RE SCARED!" He yelled out. Luffy sighed. 'Idiot.'

"You know, Armlong, as a general rule, I don't like having my chest pierced!" Luffy whined. His crew-members behind him couldn't help but snicker. The villagers were gawking at them, shocked at what the great tyrant of East Blue had been reduced to.

"WHY YOU DAMN HUMAN!" Arlong yelled and punched him with all his might. Luffy decided to humor him and did not even bother to dodge and instead released a small amount of haki to shield himself.

The villagers and crew-members watched with their jaws hanging as their hero received a punch to the face and did not budge an inch. Arlong pulled back his fist and stared in horror.

"I thought superior meant better. Guess I was wrong." Luffy said and scratched behind his ear. "I gave you 20 minutes to prove you're better than me. I didn't attack, I didn't use my devil fruit and I barely moved. Guess you were proving something else."

Arlong's eyes then changed and he lost whatever restraint he had left. He punched into Arlong park and grabbed something and pulled it out.

Luffy sweat-dropped. 'That's an interesting way of getting something.'

Nami's eyes widened in horror. "No, Kiribachi! He only uses that when he wants to wreck everything!" she yelled.

Arlong ran towards Luffy and Luffy jumped up. He crashed into a room in Arlong park, a room he remembered well. Arlong followed. He had no more restraint left, so he simply slashed left and right. Luffy sidestepped his slashes and Arlong mainly cut Nami's maps. Luffy punched the table out of the room as well as several stacks of paper.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he yelled at him. Luffy laughed while dodging.

"Oh, are you angry Arlong? Are you?" Luffy asked. But then his eyes darkened.

"But I bet you're not as angry as me. You made my nakama cry."

Then he punched Arlong out of the building. He landed underneath the park, where they fought first. There was map paper all over the plaza.

"Your nakama?" Arlong asked as he picked himself up. "What can you do with her? You can't use her as well as I can. She may be human, but she's got talent. If the rest of humans are like dirty mice, she's like a clever cat!"

Luffy decided he had enough of him.

"**Armament**." he murmured. His arm turned shiny black and he threw a punch at Arlong. He tried to block it with his Kiribachi, but the weapon was broken immediately upon contact and Arlong was sent flying. Everyone watched in awe as Arlong struggled to even get up after that punch. He did not look like someone punched him. Luffy's knuckles were imprinted on his chest and he was spitting blood.

"Look at your park for the last time, Arlong." Luffy announced and unsheathed his sword.

"**Akainami**(Red wave)!" Luffy announced and slashed the air a few times, sending several flying blade attacks towards the building, cutting it cleanly several times. The building collapsed into itself.

Arlong looked at it in horror and then he collapsed himself.

* * *

_No, there's no sarcasm in the title. Nope, none at all. _

_If you're interested about why Luffy doesn't just end the fight with one punch: Arlong made Nami cry. He used her by blackmailing her. He's a racist asshole. He's the kind of man that Luffy hates with passion, so he wants to make sure to humiliate Arlong as much as possible. He deliberately mispronounces his name to make it seem as if Arlong is a nobody and he proceeds to absolutely and utterly dominate him. In the end, one real punch pulverizes him, breaking half his bones and makes him unable to even stand up. _

_Also, I deliberately made this chapter longer, as it's a very important arc. Next up: finally a bounty! Look forward to it._

* * *

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	17. The pirate with the straw hat

**17. The pirate with the straw hat**

"Hey, guys!" Luffy yelled. "I have something for you!"

Nojiko, Genzo and a few of the other guys approached Luffy with surprised expressions.

"What is it, kid?" Genzo asked. Luffy handed them the items in his hands.

"What's this? Flags?" Nojiko asked as she looked at them. Luffy nodded.

"If you hang them in each village I'm pretty sure it'll keep any pirates away." Luffy told them. "Also, Johnny and Yosaku said they would stay here, so they I'll help protect you if you ask them."

"Don't be stupid. We can't be protected by a pirate!" Genzo stated. Luffy shook his head.

"Might as well be. The government clearly doesn't give a damn, but they'll at least leave you alone if I claim this island." he told him. Nojiko shrugged.

"What do you want in return?" she asked. Luffy shook his head again with a smile.

"You already threw us a feast and gave us supplies for the journey. I don't need anything else."

* * *

A few hours and a weird goodbye later …

* * *

"Nami-swan! 3" Sanji announced proudly. "Your security guard of love is at your service!"

"Arigato, Sanji-kun!" Nami thanked in a sweet voice.

"Hey, Nami, can I get a tangerine?" Luffy asked. Nami's eye twitched.

"Why should I give it to you? And how do I know you won't take more than one?" she asked. Luffy shrugged.

"Well, you can give me one because I'd like to see what it tastes like." he answered.

"You've never eaten a tangerine before?" she asked. Luffy shook his head.

"Not that I'd remember." he replied. She stared at him dumbfounded.

"How do I know you won't steal them all?" she then finally asked with half-lidded eyes.

"Well, then I wouldn't even ask you. I'd beat the crap out of Sanji and take them." Luffy answered in a whiny tone.

"HEY!" yelled Sanji.

Then he put his finger on his chin and gained a thoughtful expression.

"Or maybe I'd use my speed and steal them without anyone noticing!" he announced. "Or I could steal them at night!" Nami abruptly stood up.

"What?" asked Luffy confused.

"Y-Y-You're actually making sense!" she yelled. Luffy tilted his head.

"Shouldn't I?" he asked.

"But you're Luffy! You're a moron!" she told him.

"I'M NOT A MORON!" he yelled In outrage!

"Oi Nami!" Luffy asked after a few moments. "What's a moron?"

Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Can I get a tangerine now?" Luffy asked after a moment. Nami wordlessly walked towards the plant, plucked a good, ripe one and handed it to him. Luffy smiled and peeled the fruit and then ate the fruit slowly, which freaked the girl out.

"What?" he asked again.

"Why are you eating so slowly?" she asked him. He sighed.

"To enjoy the taste?" he asked back. She stared. He ate the last slice, then he laid down.

"It's good." he announced. A news bird then arrived and Nami stood up, took a newspaper and payed, complaining about the price. She sat down again and opened the newspaper and a paper flew out. Luffy ran after it and picked it up. He grinned as he looked at it.

* * *

At Marineford:

"These were all high bounty pirate captains and he took them all out." a green-haired man said and pointed at three wanted posters.

"Easily at that. From what I hear, he wasn't even wounded. Not even once." he continued. "And the pirates were formed less than a month ago."

"Do we have any information on him?" a marine vice-Admiral asked.

"None, sir." Brannew answered. "Given his unknown origin, we can't really know how strong he really is yet, but the government has decided on a price."

He put a wanted poster with Luffy's smiling face on the wall with the other three.

"This bounty is a true record for East Blue. Nobody has ever been given such a high first bounty in East Blue yet and there are only a few people in other seas who surpass it, most notably perhaps Boa Hancock, Royal Shichibukai and the Demon child. The government however believes that the figure is reasonable, given how easily he dealt with his enemies."

* * *

At Marineford, Fleet Admiral's office:

Garp walked through a wall into the office.

"Hey look at this, Sengoku!" Garp yelled and put a wanted poster on his desk.

"Yes, I already saw this." the head of the marines said in an irritated expression. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do!"

"BWAHAHAHAHA, That's my grandson!" Garp proclaimed proudly.

"Garp, " Sengoku said. "I'll never get it how you can be proud of such a family!"

The marine hero sighed.

"He's still my grandson and even if he is a pirate, at least he's a good one!" Garp muttered and turned to leave.

"USE THE DOOR NEXT TIME!" Sengoku yelled after him. Garp turned around and huffed.

"Nope, not cool enough." and then proceeded to close the door of the office and walk through it, leaving another man-shaped hole.

"GAAAARP!"

* * *

On some unknown island on the Grand Line:

"Yo, Hawk-Eyes, have you come to challenge me to a sword fight?" a red-haired man asked. Mihawk shook his head.

"Perhaps later. I have some things to discuss." he said and revealed a bounty poster. Shanks smiled.

"After he dueled with me, beat Don Krieg with one slash and scared the hell out of everyone else, he told me to be his messenger to a Yonkou." Mihawk told him in a totally emotionless tone. Shanks blinked.

"Gahahahaha, just as I expected. He'll surpass even ol' Shirohige in a few years!" Shanks announced. Then he sighed.

"Honestly, every time I think about that kid I always think that I had to be drunk that whole month. But then Benn always reminds me that it really happened!" Shanks continued. "So, what's his message?"

Mihawk sat down next to Shanks.

"He said that he will enter Paradise in about a week." he said. Shanks nodded.

"That's good to hear. Anything else?" he asked.

"That's the problem, Red-Haired. He said he is counting on you, but I don't know about what." Hawk-Eye continued. Shanks laughed and patted his back.

"Don't worry about it, Hawk-Eyes! He's just reminding me of something!" he said.

"Now, Hawk-Eyes!" Shanks announced in a fake menacing tone. "I can't let you just leave here!"

* * *

On the Moby Dick:

"Hey, Sabo, come here, yoi!" a blond, pineapple-headed male called out.

"What is it, Marco?" a blonde-haired man with a blue hat and clothes asked and went in his direction. Marco chuckled and handed him a wanted poster.

Sabo took it and looked at it. His eyes bulged out.

"L-L-LU-LUFFY!" he stuttered. The amount under his name startled him. "WHAT THE HELL?!"

Marco smirked. "Is there a problem, Sabo?" he asked. Sabo looked at him dumbfounded.

"He's got higher first bounty than my and Ace's first bounty combined!" he said.

"Can't wait to tell Ace, yoi!" Marco said with an evil expression as he grabbed the poster back. Sabo sweat-dropped.

"HEY ACE!" he yelled.

"What?" a voice asked. Marco turned around and saw Ace.

"Yo, Fireman!" he called.

"A fireman puts out fire, Marco." Ace said with a twitch. "I AM fire!"

"Whatever." Marco dismissed him. "Check this out, yoi."

Ace took the poster and looked at it for a full minute. Then he looked at Sabo, then at Marco.

"Tell me this is a joke." he said. Marco and Sabo blinked in confusion.

"No, it's real, yoi."

"Damn it, he was right." Ace muttered. Sabo looked confused. Ace sighed and proceeded to explain. "He said, and I quote: your bounties will be tiny compared to mine!"

"He did say that!" Sabo confirmed. Ace sighed, but smiled now.

"I need to show this to Pops!" he said and walked away.

/

A few minutes later …

/

"Look, Pops!" Ace exclaimed and practically shoved the poster into Whitebeard's head. "This is my little brother!"

The Yonkou took the poster and looked at it.

"So that's the brat, eh?" he said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yep! That's my weak little brother!" Ace repeated. Whitebeard looked at him in confusion.

"What?" Ace asked. The Yonkou coughed.

"Well, I wouldn't say he was weak, given what is written on this poster!" Whitebeard told him. "He has a huge first bounty and it says here that he took out the best of East Blue without getting wounded even once."

"EEEEH?!"

/

Elsewhere on the ship …

/

Sabo stares at Teach eating a pie and gets an awful sense of foreboding. Marco notices this and comes over to him.

"What's wrong, yoi?" he asked. Sabo shook his head.

"It's just something Luffy said. He told us to stay away from fat pirates with missing teeth and bushy chest hair that like pies."

He raised his hand when an angry Marco tried to say something.

"No, I'm not joking. He actually said that. Those exact words! " Sabo said and Marco stared at him in bewilderment.

"Well, that seems oddly specific." Marco said with a sweatdrop. "Did he say why, yoi?"

Sabo smirked. "He said that we should stay away unless we want to get raped."

Marco fell over.

"He actually said that?" Marco asked incredulously.

"When he was eleven no less." Sabo said.

"Well, " Marco said in a deadpanned voice as he patted Sabo's shoulder. "You sure have one interesting brother."

* * *

Back on the Going Merry …

"Check this out guys!" Luffy called and turned his wanted poster around so that everyone could see. The crewmembers, including Zoro who was sleeping only moments ago, all walked towards him and looked at the poster. It read:

_Monkey D Luffy_

_WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE_

_70.000.000 Berry_

* * *

_Yes, Luffy finally gets his bounty and it's much higher than before! In case you're wondering, I'm putting Ace's first bounty as 40.000.000 and Sabo's at 22.000.000 (because he's more discreet)._

_Also, I didn't repeat any of what the anime showed regarding bounty reactions a_s_ I figured they wouldn't really change that much._

_Thanks for reading and I hope I did good. Please review on your way out._

* * *

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	18. Smokey and Dragon

**18. Smokey and Dragon**

Luffy was snoring with drool coming out of his mouth.

"Meat …" he muttered, but then a boot kicked his head.

"What?" he said and tried to stretch, but he couldn't move. "Where am I?"

'Damnit, seastone.' He thought.

"Gyahahaha! Hey Mugiwara!" a high-pitched voice nearby announced. "Welcome to the execution!"

Luffy looked at him and his lips twitched. Even in the face of death he still couldn't resist it.

"Cool! I've always wanted to see an execution!" he beamed. The clown almost fell over.

"IT'S YOUR EXECUTION!" he yelled.

"WHAT?!" he exclaimed. "NO WAY!"

He chuckled silently to himself as the clown muttered something about stupidity and straw hats.

"Now look good, fair lady Alvida as I decapitate this bastard!" Buggy yelled. He looked down and indeed he saw a skinny Alvida in the front line.

"Alvida?" Luffy repeated. He looked around in every direction. "But I don't see any whales, let alone super-sized ones!"

He had to concentrate hard not to roar out in laughter as he could see Alvida's face get more and more red, before she erupted.

"I'M NOT A WHALE!" she yelled. Luffy looked at her and blinked several times.

"Of course you're not." Luffy told her in a childish tone. "You're not Alvida."

"I AM ALVIDA, BASTARD!" she yelled as a tick formed above her eye.

"But you're not a whale!" Luffy replied. Alvida gritted her teeth in anger.

"I NEVER WAS ONE!" she roared out.

"Now, now, lady Alvida, don't mind this brainless idiot. He won't be alive very much longer!" Buggy announced and lifted his sword. "DIE, STRAW-HAT!"

"THIS EXECUTION … " yelled Sanji.

" … IS OVER!" finished Zoro.

They then fought their way through the pirates, but Luffy knew they were going to be too late. He would have freed himself already, but the seastone was sapping all of his strength, disabling even his haki. Luffy didn't know if seastone naturally sapped haki power as well or if it just weakened him too much to use it, but it didn't matter. The sword began to approach his neck. Luffy knew this could very well be the end, if the lighting didn't strike at the right time like the first time.

So he smiled. He could see Smoker drop his Cigars from his mouth in a building overlooking the plaza and he wondered what that was all about.

"Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, Nami!" he called out. 'And Chopper, Robin, Brook, Franky and Vivi.' He added in his mind. "SORRY! BUT I'M DEAD!"

Then he grinned content and ready to die. 'At I'm the one dying this time!' he thought and thinking this his grin widened. He was content. All of his nakama were still alive and he at least saved four of them from their otherwise unhappy fates and there was still hope for the rest.

But death didn't come and for once Luffy wasn't mad at it. Lighting struck the platform, but Luffy didn't feel anything, only heard it strike. Then the platform collapsed and Luffy fell down with it. Luffy stood up.

'Maybe Enel saved me,' Luffy thought, but then started to snicker. 'Yeah right.'

He stepped forward and picked up his straw hat before it hit the ground. He looked at the jaws on the ground and smirked.

"Well that was an … enlightening experience!" Luffy said and then started to giggle.

"Get it? It's a pun!" Luffy told, but nobody would react.

"You know, en-lighting?" Luffy tried again.

"Whatever." Luffy huffed. "You're no fun."

Then he ran up to Sanji and Zoro and together they ran to the harbor. Zoro was stopped in his tracks by Tashigi. As they ran, Luffy felt a familiar presence. In front of them was none other than Captain Smoker.

'Smokey!' Luffy thought.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Luffy was sitting on a hilltop, overlooking the ocean. As he thought about his crew again, tears slipped down his face. He felt someone behind him._

_"Mugiwara!" a familiar voice said. Luffy turned around. It was Smoker._

_"I came to arrest you." He said, but his attention was clearly not on anything but his face, where tears flowed freely. _

_"Then do it, Smokey." Luffy said and faced the sea again. "Take me and get this over with."_

_"So it's true then?" Smoker asked and puffed a smoke. "You lost your crew?"_

_Luffy didn't answer, but he didn't have to. Smoker knew this answer._

_"Akainu is gone too. Disappeared alongside his fleet, and a few vice-admirals. What-"_

_"I killed them." Luffy interrupted. Smoker's eyes widened._

_"You never kill, Mugiwara." He replied._

_"I didn't. But it was already like I was dead myself so might as well betray my principles too. I didn't care anymore and I still don't." Luffy said, his voice crackling. _

_Smoker turned and left him. That was the last time he saw him._

* * *

Smoker stepped forward.

"Mugiwara!" he growled. "I'm Captain Smoker. You're not getting past me!"

Luffy stopped. Sanji looked at them.

"Sanji, go ahead. I'll follow after I'm done here." Luffy commanded. Smoker smirked.

"I wouldn't count on it." he told him. Sanji ran forward, but Smoker didn't stop him.

He activated his devil fruit power and turned into smoke. Smoke flew in all directions and Luffy noted that Smoker was trying to trap him. This was something he always respected about Smoker. He never really attempted to kill, always only to catch. Luffy activated his Soru for a moment and jumped into air, dodging the smoke that tried to form around him. Smoke followed him. Luffy kicked the smoke away, much to the surprise of his foe.

"A haki user in the East?" Smoker muttered in disbelief. Then he jumped towards Luffy again and attempted to hit him with his jutte, but Luffy easily caught his arm.

"I'm sorry, Smokey." Luffy told him as he gritted his teeth in frustration. "But your haki is shitty. Train some more and challenge me again."

Smoker growled and tried to strike again, but Luffy punched him hard in the gut. He didn't use too much haki though as Smoker was one of those rare marines that he truly respected. He dropped the unconscious, but otherwise relatively undamaged Smoker on the ground. He looked at him for a moment, but then he heard footsteps in the rain. He turned around and saw a man, covered in a green cloak approaching. Lighting flashed and a moment he could see the man's face. It was covered with tattoos.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_" ... I hear your dad saw you off at Loguetown … "_

_" … His name is Monkey D Dragon … "_

_" … He's a revolutionary … "_

_" … My comrade, revolutionary Dragon! … "_

_" … Son of Dragon! … "_

_" … That's your punishment, Mugiwara. For the sin of being born … "_

* * *

"Dragon?" Luffy asked quietly. The man kept walking towards him.

"Or, should I say, dad?" Luffy continued. The man was now in front of him and they looked at eachother. Luffy looked at him with half-lidded eyes.

"Or maybe the best way to describe you would be sperm donor from hell." Luffy exclaimed after a moment of silence. The man stiffened for a bit, but then started chuckling.

"You know, if I was Ace, I'd hate you and I'd be trying to kill you right about now." Luffy said. The man paused in his amused laughter.

"Ace is my brother." Luffy answered the question that was never asked. "As is Sabo."

"Brothers?" the man said. "You don't have any brothers."

"Not blood ones, no." Luffy confirmed. The man tilted his head slightly.

"Ace as in Portgas D Ace and Sabo as in his crewmember Sabo?" he asked. Luffy nodded. The man's eyes widened slightly, but it seemed as if Dragon was used to surprises.

"So why don't you hate me?" the man asked. "You have every right to."

Luffy sighed.

"You have done nothing yet. I have no reason to hate you." Luffy answered honestly. The man nodded.

"Luffy-"

"Don't misunderstand me." Luffy interrupted. "You aren't a father to me. I don't hate you. It's just that I'm indifferent to you. I don't care about you at all. I don't care about faceless strangers. "

"But I AM your father!" Dragon protested. Luffy shook his head.

"No, you're a stranger, who happens to be the sperm donor. If you want me to care about you, do something to make me care. "

Luffy turned to leave, but then turned back for a bit.

"And for the record, I hate the government too." Luffy said and put his hand on his scar.

As he turned around, a wild wind flew forth and carried him and his crew to his ship.

'Well, it's a start.' Luffy thought as he landed on the ship.

Dragon stood in the harbor.

'Damn. That was cold.'

* * *

_Well, how do you like the cold shower? Luffy truly does not hate Dragon, at least not in this fanfiction, but as he himself said is completely indifferent to his as a person, that is until Dragon makes a move to correct that. He's giving his dad a cold welcome, but also a chance to start the relationship if he so decides. Luffy doesn't care much about bloodlines either. He calls two boys who aren't related to him his brothers and his crew his family._

* * *

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	19. The Grand Line

**19. The Grand Line **

Luffy watched into the distance as the ship descended Reverse mountain.

* * *

_Flashback:_

" … _You aren't my father …. "_

" … _You're a stranger … "_

" … _I'm indifferent to you … "_

" … _Just a sperm donor … "_

* * *

He sighed.

Zoro noticed his unhappy disposition and put his hand on his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" he asked him. Luffy sighed again.

"I met my father in Loguetown before we left." he told him. Zoro stared at him.

"For the first time." Luffy added when Zoro obviously didn't know what was the matter. Zoro sighed.

"I see." he told him. "So how did it go?"

Luffy chuckled softly.

"I was a total ass to him." he answered after a moment of silence. Zoro blinked.

"I told him that until he actually does something I don't care about him and see him as a stranger." Luffy continued. Zoro sighed.

"You were a jerk, yes." Zoro confirmed. "But I honestly can't blame you. I'd probably do worse and smack him a few times and-"

"Hate to interrupt your bonding, but we're about to crash!" Nami interrupted.

Luffy looked ahead and saw what looked like a giant mountain.

'Shit, Laboon!' thought Luffy.

He was unable to stop the figurehead from breaking off and went pretty mad there for a moment. Then the whale swallowed the ship and he entered the whale through a hatch on the top. Then he found his way to the stomach and almost fell in it. Two people who were apparently inside with him did fall in it. He rocketed himself into the ship just as Zoro was being restrained to not kick the crap out of Crocus for some reason. He crashed into them. Sanji managed to grab himself into the fence, but Zoro was thrown over it, straight into the whale's digestive juices (while displaying his colourful mastery of curse language). Yuck.

Then two people climbed over the railing. One was a brown-haired man in green clothes with a crown on his head and the other was a blue-haired girl.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Why do you sit there, Luffy-san? Isn't it dangerous? You're a devil fruit user!"_

"_It's my special seat. Don't worry, I won't fall."_

* * *

Only right now, she wasn't acting anything like that. She seemed like the typical Baroque Works agent. Luffy didn't know whether it was a façade or the influence of her partner, who was actually quite annoying. They acted like they owned their boat and attempted to kill Laboon with their bazooka. Crocus intercepted their attack. Luffy wondered how the old man was able to do that without getting heavily injured. He seemed normal enough to him.

Luffy then knocked them both out. After a few minutes of talking with Crocus, who explained about Laboon to them. Then they exited the whale's stomach. After a while, Luffy proceeded to fight with Laboon and then painted a deformed Straw-Hat jolly roger on his front to stop him from damaging his head any further.

* * *

After a few minutes of conversations …

* * *

Nami was eying her compass with a bewildered expression. Luffy lied on the grass (of the small island near Laboon) and watched the sky. Usopp was on the ship fixing things. Zoro was there, sleeping. Sanji arrived, carrying food.

"Here's your food, Nami-swan !" Sanji exclaimed and twirled around in his love-noodle form, whilst still carrying the plates, which always impressed Luffy.

"Hey, Sanji-kun, the compass seems to be broken!" she told him. Sanji put his plates down and looked at it. Luffy started eating.

"You're right, Nami-san. It's spinning randomly." he added. Crocus laughed from his chair and everyone looked at him, except Luffy, who was eating Nami's food.

"That simple compass won't get you anywhere in the Grand-line." he told them. Nami looked at him with a horrified expression. "The nature here in Paradise and even more so in the New World is far to unpredictable for such a simple thing as a compass to work."

"Then what do we need?" asked Nami. Crocus chuckled.

"You didn't come very prepared, did you, young lady?" he asked in an amused tone. "You're going to need a Log-pose."

"This is serious, why are you laughing?" Nami yelled at him. Crocus pointed at Luffy's hand which was offered to Nami, holding an actual Log-pose.

"Those weirdos dropped it."

Nami took the Log-pose and simultaneously punched Luffy, who of course wasn't really affected but whined nonetheless.

"Why did you punch me, Nami!" he asked childishly. Nami huffed.

"Just because." she said. Luffy pouted.

"Whatever." he told her and stuck his tongue out. "You punch like a girl!"

"I AM A GIRL!" she shouted and proceeded to punch him, but before she could, Sanji got angry on her behalf.

"WHY YOU SHITTY RUBBER!" he yelled. "First you eat my Nami-san's food and then you insult her!" And then he kicked him in the head. Which did absolutely nothing of course except make a small red mark on Luffy's face.

"Sanji-kun … " Nami suddenly muttered in a dark, menacing tone that promised death. Luffy and Sanji both looked at her and noticed that the Log-pose had broken from the wind of the kick. Sanji tried to plead innocent, but Nami would have none of it and proceeded to beat the crap out of him. Luffy laughed as she did so, but as Sanji laid on the ground in a heap, Nami turned his attention to him and approached him in a pitch dark but also somewhat gloomy aura.

"As for you, monkey-boy … " she muttered darkly.

Luffy sweat-dropped. As she neared him, he put his hand up. "Wait, Nami." he told her in a calm tone. Nami stopped out of confusion. He didn't sound like he was making an excuse or trying to prevent being beaten.

"Wait a second, Nami." he said and opened one of his pockets. He pulled out a box, which although not very big still barely fit in his pocket.

'I hope it's still okay after all that.' he thought and put the box on the ground. Opened it. Everyone looked at it. Inside the box was a small knife with an exquisitely shaped handle, a small badge with the Straw-Hat jolly-roger, which Luffy didn't ever wear for some reason, a few other objects and another very small box, a bit bigger than the size of the kind of box where you'd put an engagement ring or something like that. Luffy took it and gave it to her.

She opened it and gasped. Inside it was another Log-pose. She then proceeded to hug Luffy, at which he sweat-dropped.

'Women and their mood-swings.' he thought. (the hypocrite that he is given his own demon persona)

She looked at Luffy, then at the Log-pose and then at Luffy again.

"What?" he asked in a deadpanned expression.

"You actually came prepared?!" Nami almost screamed. Luffy just looked at her confused.

"DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!" she yelled at him, but then calmed a bit and sighed.

"It's just that it seems so unlike you. You never plan your battles. You don't care about our food stocks and just eat everything in sight. And you didn't even have a ship when we first met or any crew-members or nothing."

"Nami," Luffy replied in his 'you're-very-stupid-and-here's-why' tone. "Firstly, I only had 18 million Berry when I set out. That's not enough for any kind of ship. Secondly, I don't need to plan against weaklings and thirdly I always eat until I'm full. Gramps taught me to do that."

Nami and Sanji stared at him dumbly.

'What's happening?! He's making sense again!'

* * *

_After more conversations, repairs, naps, begging (from Vivi and Mr. 9) as well as setting sail …_

* * *

After a lesson in Grand-line weather (much to Luffy's hidden amusement), when it finally stopped snowing and they were relaxing on the deck (even the 'guests') , Luffy came from the storage room of the ship with a few bandanas and wooden sticks. They all looked at him and got a terrible feeling.

"Luffy, what are you-" Nami started.

"TIME FOR HAKI TRAINING, GUYS!" Luffy interrupted. Everyone blinked.

"The *what* training, Luffy?" Zoro asked on the others behalf.

"Haki." Luffy said but as they still looked at him, still confused, Luffy proceeded to explain. "Oh that's right. You don't know about it yet. So let me explain."

He sat down on the wooden ground, put down his items and everyone came over to him. As they sat down in a circle (Vivi and Mr. 9 sat down next to the railing, intrigued by the mysterious 'haki' but didn't want to come closer.)

Luffy sighed.

"Haki is sort of like weaponized ambition. My sensei told me that it's present in all people, but few manage to get it out." Luffy told them. They listened intently. "My sensei called haki the act of not doubting. He said that is true strength."

"The act of not doubting?" Zoro repeated dumbfounded. Luffy nodded.

"Those who have no doubts, fight better." he told them. Zoro and Sanji nodded, knowing this to be true. "That's also why people who are already strong or strong-willed normally learn it faster."

"So what can haki do?" Usopp asked.

"Plenty of things." Luffy began. "Increase your strength, protect your body, reflect attacks, better avoid attacks and other things."

They all looked at him in bewilderment.

"Then haki is incredibly useful." Zoro concluded. They all nodded, but Luffy shook his head.

"Now it's useful, " he said. "But as we get deeper and deeper into the grand-line, it'll become a must."

"But how will those things help us train haki?" Zoro asked and pointed at the bandanas and sticks. Luffy shook his head again.

"First let me tell you more about it. There are three forms of haki, as I've said." he said. Zoro nodded again.

"First, Observation haki. It allows you to feel the presence of beings and things around you." Luffy said and stood up. He turned away from them and closed his eyes. They looked at him confused.

"Zoro." he called. "Try to cut me."

The swordsman looked at everyone. They shrugged, so Zoro took out Wado Ichimonji and attempted to cut Luffy several times. He dodged every attempt with minimal movement, much to their amazement. Luffy then turned back to them and continued.

"It only works as long as your concentration is good enough and as long as your enemies strikes aren't random." he told them.

"That's amazing!" Usopp gasped out. Luffy smiled.

"The second is Armament Haki. It basically shields your body. It allows you to make your attacks more powerful, shield your body from harm and bypass devil-fruit defences."

"Devil fruit defences?" Nami asked. Luffy nodded.

"If you had haki and hit me and my own haki didn't shield me, I'd feel the same pain as if I wasn't rubber." he said.

"S-Sugeii!" Usopp said. Luffy looked at Sanji.

"Kick me. Once." he ordered. Sanji blinked, but then stood up. Luffy held the wrist of his right hand with an open palm with his left hand. The palm of the hand was opened in the direction of Sanji (I don't know how good this explanation is, but think about Sentomaru if you're confused). Sanji kicked him and Luffy caught his leg with his palm and Sanji was blasted away, almost crashing into Zoro.

"Stupid dartbrow … " Zoro muttered. Luffy tried not to laugh. This was the first time he had heard Zoro insult Sanji in this timeline.

"What did you say," Sanji asked in a threatening tone. "Marimo?"

"Stop!" Luffy ordered and Sanji finally sat down. Both were still glaring at each other. Luffy would have loved to see them fight actually, but this was too important to delay.

"I saw your arm turn black a few times. Was that armament haki?" Zoro asked. Luffy smiled.

"Yes, actually, but it's a little bit different. Instead of making armor around my skin, I make skin into armor. If that makes any sense." Luffy said. Then he put his left hand in a fist and muttered "**Armament**" and the hand turned shiny black like it was supposed to.

"Why do you always say 'armament'?" Zoro asked. Luffy sweat-dropped.

"Why do you say 'Santoryu' every time?" Luffy asked back.

" … Good point."

"Anyway, the last type is the Haki of the Conquering king. Or King's Disposition." Luffy said and sat down. "Only one In a million are supposed to have it. It's a chosen people kind of thing."

"H-How do you know if you can use it?" Usopp asked. Luffy shrugged.

"Honestly? You just get stronger and hope it shows along the way." he answered.

"Aren't you going to show us?" Zoro asked. Luffy shook his head.

"No. Even if it would work, it's not worth it. It's pretty unpleasant." Luffy told them.

"Why?" Zoro asked.

"It allows you to overpower the minds of other people." Luffy answered and the others looked at him in shock. "Your targets need to be both weak-willed and much weaker than you for it to work. It's good for dealing with weaklings."

"What does it do?" Sanji asked.

"It literally breaks the minds of your enemies for some time and they collapse. That can't feel too good." Luffy answered and scratched his head. Nami was hit by a sudden realization.

"You used it on those three pirates in Orange town!" she said and pointed at him. Luffy nodded, but then he stood up, ignoring their shocked faces because of him being one of the 'chosen ones' and picked up his training equipment.

"We'll start with Observation." he announced. They looked at him confused.

He grinned.

"Nami will be paired with Usopp and Sanji will go with Zoro since you're closer in strength that way." he said.

"What will we do?" Usopp asked and as Luffy grinned they got another terrible feeling.

"One of you will blindfold himself and sit on the ground and try to dodge the others hits with the bat. You'll repeat that a few hours every day until you can dodge flawlessly." Luffy said in a cheerful tone.

"WHAAAAT?!" They all yelled.

"HAPPY TRAINING!"

* * *

_Okay, I'm sorry that this took so long, but the first part of this chapter was really and I mean really annoying to write. Also, I had a killer headache for the better part of the day. After I finally finished the dreadful summary of the events (if you can't tell yet, I HATE having to repeat stuff that happened in the main story.) the rest of the chapter went pretty smoothly and I must say that the end result pleases me much more than the two earlier chapters._

_Haki is introduced to the story, but don't worry. It takes time to master. They won't be dodging any attacks with observation haki until Enies Lobby at the very least and they probably won't be able to use armament until the timeskip (unless I decide otherwise). So don't you dare worry about the rest of the straw hats becoming overpowered. Also, the Luffy explaining stuff was a serious Luffy. So now I guess we have Happy Luffy, Mad Luffy and Serious Luffy. :D _

_Also, if you're wondering why Nami isn't shocked because of composed and well-thought out explanations of haki: fighting is kinda his thing, so telling them about his fighting secrets really isn't all that odd. _

_Luffy feels kinda bad he was such an asshole and I'll admit that I didn't actually plan to add that into the story until a reviewer told me how OOC and jerky Luffy was to Dragon. Don't worry, they'll meet again, but I won't say anything else! _

_I don't think there's anything else to say, but remind me if i forgot something. Please review if you have the time._

* * *

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	20. Observation at Whiskey Peak

_I apologize for the late chapter, but I was just so sleepy and tired yesterday. Hope you enjoy and another will hopefully follow soon. On another note, if you care about that sort of thing, I updated my profile recently and finally wrote something about myself there. I don't usually read stuff like that, but if you do - it's there now._

**20. Observations at Whiskey Peak**

A few people walked over Luffy waking him up. He lifted himself and his enlarged stomach up and scratched his head in confusion.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. Then he looked around and saw his nakama, except Zoro and Nami on the ground, sleeping.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Welcome to Whiskey Peak, great pirates! We make a party for anyone who makes it this far, so congratulations to you all. Please, follow me and make sure you enjoy yourselves!"_

* * *

"Right!" Luffy whispered to himself as he remembered.

He noticed his large belly was dirty from their footsteps and he cleaned himself a bit after standing up. He heard screaming.

"Where the hell is he?" multiple people shout, a bit panicked.

Luffy could sense Zoro's aura flicker. He walks towards the door and immediately runs into a man. The man tries to shout to alert others, but Luffy covers his mouth with his hand to prevent him, but then the man swings his sword and very nearly cuts Luffy's large stomach. He then punches the man in the gut and stops his body just as he's about to hit the ground and sets him on the ground quietly.

He walks out of the building quietly, careful not to attract any attention. He then checks the top of the house with his observation haki and is glad to notice that there's nobody on it.

'Good.' he thought and jumped up on a building, landing softly, but very nearly falling over as he did.

'Damn stomach.' he thought. 'Getting in the way.'

Then he got an idea. 'I did that once in Impel down. I should be able to repeat it, even though I don't need the energy.'

He used his rubber powers to get rid of his big stomach, relocating the energy in other parts of his body. He gritted his teeth in pain.

'Damn, I don't remember this being so painful … ' he thought with a pout. He looked down at the battlefield. Zoro was speeding past foes, slashing them when he passed. It was abundantly clear the poor agents had no chance.

'Damn!' Luffy thought as he followed Zoro's carnage with pride. 'It's hard to believe that we were already this good when we barely even entered the Grand-Line.'

Igaram, who Luffy was surprised to see was trying to kill Zoro, forced his unofficial first-mate to jump away in order to avoid getting hit by the weird shotgun thing. Zoro proceeded to sheath his white katana and unsheathed Yubashiri, one of the blades he was gifted with. He ran into a few enemies and cut them.

"Nice katana. It's light and easy to wield!" Luffy heard him comment. He furrowed his brows. 'Complete opposite of that black blade, … what was it, Shusui or something like that …' Zoro then unsheathed his other new blade, Sandai Kitetsu. Immediately upon doing that, Luffy flinched. He sensed a very dark but also a bit mischievous presence from the blade and this surprised him.

'Why do I feel this sword's presence now and I couldn't ever before?' he thought to himself, but then eyed Ashita no Kanashimi. 'Is it because I've become a bit of a swordsman myself?'

Zoro then cut a few more enemies and Luffy noticed that his swings with Kitetsu were far deadlier and may have actually outright killed a few, which rarely happened before with Zoro's level of restraint. When he stopped, Zoro clutched the shoulder of the hand that held Kitetsu as if in pain.

"Damn, what overwhelming bloodlust!" Luffy could hear Zoro say. "A Meito is only supposed to cut when it's master commands!"

This caught the attention of nearby foes and Zoro was forced to flee on top of a building. He climbed ladders and went as far as he could go until he was on top. Luffy watched with amusement as Zoro pushed away the ladder, throwing away a dozen or so enemies. Zoro then jumped across to the other side, using the falling ladder to be able to do so.

As Zoro landed on the rooftop, he looked somewhat like some-sort of a grim reaper with a sword in each hand and a somewhat demonic look to his face.

Luffy then turned away as he felt a relatively weak, but familiar aura flicker. He looked to his left and saw Nami exiting a small building, stuffing a few money notes in her pocket and running to another house. He grinned.

As he turned his attention back to Zoro he couldn't see him anywhere in sight, but he still sensed his presence. He heard a distinctly female voice scream something. Luffy assumed it was an attack name. He watched as the three agents assumed the battle was over and he gritted his teeth in annoyance, still clearly feeling Zoro's aura, as powerful as ever.

'This is insulting. How dare they assume that MY first-mate was defeated so easily!' he thought to himself. 'On the first island no less! Jerks …'

But to his captain's pleasure, Zoro soon proved them wrong by defeating the powerful looking girl who seemed to have defeated him only moments before. The three remaining agents looked at Zoro in silence for a few moments, but then the one they called Mr. 8 got a look of sudden realization.

"I see now!" he announced and the remaining Baroque works agents looked at him. "The marines must have made a mistake. The bounty must really belong to this guy! He must be the captain."

The rest nodded, agreeing with his conclusion. Luffy was beyond annoyed.

"That's right." Mr. 9 agreed. "I should have known that there was no way for such a smiley-faced kid to get such a high bounty! Or to be the captain."

'Smiley-faced kid?' Luffy scowled in annoyance. 'People who judge their enemies on their appearance alone don't usually live very long on the Grand-line.'

But then he smirked and sat down on the edge of the roof. 'Time to teach them something.'

"Yo, Zoro!" he called out and waved, interrupting them just as they were about to brag about their number agent status. Everyone looked at him, including Zoro, who was a tad surprised that he was up.

"When you deal with the trash, come have a drink with me!" he announced. Zoro smirked.

"Sounds good, captain." he replied after a moment. This earned horrified stares from the group down below.

"Y-You're not the captain?" stuttered Miss Wednesday at Zoro. Luffy face-palmed in disappointment. 'Even you, Vivi?!'

Luffy saw Zoro smirk in amusement for a moment at his own irritation with them, but then the first-mate spoke up. "We're the Straw-hat pirates, idiots. Do you see a straw hat anywhere on my head?"

Then the battle continued. A few of the men remaining tried to sneak up on Luffy, but he flung them off the roof, sending them head-first into the street below. What remained of them was their legs dangling out of the cement, struggling to free the rest of their bodies.

Zoro dealt with the three remaining threats easily enough (the rest weren't event considered as threats to Zoro by Luffy) and Luffy was well entertained by them. Between Mr.9 and Vivi's incompetence which he laughed at heartily, Zoro's demonic presence and Mr.8's odd fighting style, Luffy was kept entertained every second. In the end, when Igaram finally fell, Luffy clapped in joy.

"Great job, Zoro!" Luffy said and outstretched his arm to him. Instead of grabbing it, as Luffy expected, Zoro jumped on it and ran on the leg until he reached at roof, at which point he jumped out. He probably didn't trust Luffy to pull him up.

Luffy then offered Zoro sake, which he gladly accepted.

"You're strong." Luffy finally said after a moment of silence and quiet drinking. Zoro snorted and looked at him.

"That's odd, coming from you." Zoro replied. Luffy shook his head.

"It's hard to put things into perspective sometimes." Luffy said after another moment of silence. He felt another familiar aura approaching him, but he didn't comment on it.

"A normal man is plenty strong, but he so very easily dies or is beaten. Then there are stronger men, like Morgan and Jango and such, who seem to tower over men. Then there are the likes of Mr. 8 over there, but even they aren't any match for monsters such as you or Sanji."

Zoro chuckled, probably finding it funny for Luffy to call him a monster and not the other way around, but remained quiet.

"After them are people such as government agents, who've trained for their whole lives and dwarf over complete monsters. Then those walking weapons are no match at all for powerful vice-admirals, new world captains and the like."

Zoro continued to listen silently and poured himself more sake.

"But even they are humbled by the the Shichibukai and Yonkou's closest lieutenants. And yet, as dreadful as they may seem, there are still people above them. The Yonkou, Admirals, Mihawk ... "

Zoro stiffened a bit and touched his scar which was finally healing properly.

" … and me. " Luffy concluded. Zoro stopped drinking and looked at him.

"But even we aren't on top, oh no." Luffy continued. Zoro looked at him oddly.

"But you're on par with an admiral!" Zoro exclaimed. "You're the strongest there is!"

Luffy shook his head.

"As strong as we are, we are still no match for the old legends, the jerks from the old era. The ones truly on top are Whitebeard, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and … well, gramps." Luffy finished. Zoro looked at him wide-eyed.

"Garp … he's that strong?" he asked. Luffy nodded. "He is."

"So, what are you trying to say?" Zoro asked jokingly. "If it's that you're horribly strong, I already knew that, but thanks."

Luffy shook his head and snorted in amusement.

"I wonder how all this is possible." he said. "Monsters who tower over monsters who tower over monsters who tower over monsters who to-"

"I get the idea!" Zoro interrupted irritated. "What's your point?"

Luffy looked at him.

"Zoro, you're the strongest swordsman of East Blue and yet you're nothing to a guy like say, Doflamingo." he told him. Zoro stiffened a bit at the blunt words. "But, Whitebeard would literally walk over that guy. It's screwed up, completely mad. I don't know how everything even works."

"Well, those were some enlightening words, Captain." a female voice said from behind. "Can't say I've expected that from you."

"Hi, Nami." Luffy greeted. Zoro turned around startled.

"Since when were you here?" He asked her. She opened her mouth to answer.

"Since I started talking." Luffy answered for her.

"Observation Haki." Luffy said after they looked at him oddly. Luffy invited Nami to sit beside them and gave her a glass of saké. She drank a bit, but then they heard talking.

" … you see, certain members of a certain kingdom seemed to have infiltrated our organization." a black-haired man said with an arrogant voice. "And so we were sent to eliminate them."

Mr. 8 and Mrs. Wednesday seemed to sweat a bit upon hearing this.

"I'm not a king!" Mr.9 protested. "It's just my style. You can't-"

"We didn't mean you, idiot!" the blonde-haired agent with an umbrella said in irritation. Then the black-haired agent, Mr. 5, pulled out a picture. This caused Mr.8 to react violently and he attacked the duo with his odd weapons.

"As the Captain of Guard of Arabasta I won't let you do this!" he yelled. The agent duo was unharmed.

"Captain of Arabasta Royal Guard, Igaram and Princess of Arabasta, Nefertari Vivi." Mr. 5 announced. Nami spat out her sake.

"She's a princess." Zoro announced. Nami's eyes turned into berries at which both men sweat-dropped. "You know what that means guys! We're rich if we save her! Go save her, guys!"

"You know, they tried to kill us!" Zoro protested. Nami would have none of it.

"I'll get my billion Berry, Zoro. If not from her, then from you!" she almost yelled at him. "And I think she would pay much more easily than you! A billion is not that much for a kingdom to pay!"

Luffy stood up and they both looked at him in confusion.

"You can get a lot of meat with a billion Berry!" he announced. They both fell over, but Nami got over her shock quickly enough.

"See, Luffy understands!" she said with a smile. Luffy turned to Zoro.

"Go deal with them. I'll take the Vivi to safety." he told him.

* * *

_Vivi fans, here we go! Vivi will join next chapter and you'll also get to read about the naughty Miss. AllSunday. How did you like this chapter? I wanted to make something different with this, so I made Luffy watch and observe the battle that Zoro led with Baroque works. The battle may be a little different than in cannon as well as the sequence of events as I didn't pay too much attention to that (because I hate doing that). _

_Luffy is a tad annoyed at how easily they conclude that his swordsman is dead. He never would have taken Zoro in his crew if he hadn't been exceptional at what he does._

_I don't remember anything else to say right now, so please remind me in a review if you need anything cleared up. Thanks and look forward to the arrival of the Demon of Ohara. _

_(Also, just so you know, wants me to correct Whitebeard into Whitehead, Doflamingo into flaming, Mihawk into Mohawk and Arabasta into Arabia. :D Just thought I'd say that! :D)_

* * *

If you like my story and want to make me happy, then click this link (hopefully in massively overwhelming numbers :D ): adf(replace this with dot)ly/6qkpw


	21. The Demon, the Witch and the Princess

**21. The Demon, the Witch and the Princess**

"So, you infiltrated this, … Baroque works group to learn about what their goal was?" Nami asked. Vivi nodded.

"To be fair, we already had the idea that they were planning to overthrow the kingdom, but we just didn't know for sure." she told them. Zoro smirked.

"That was pretty courageous of you." he complimented her. "And not every princess loves her country enough to do something like that."

Luffy nodded.

* * *

_Flashback:_

" … _I'm sorry, I want to come with you, but __**I love my country**__ and the country needs its princess … "_

* * *

"Thank you." Vivi replied. "But we haven't actually accomplished anything yet. I hate to ask, but would you be willing to get me to Arabasta, to at least tell them what we know?"

Luffy tried to say something.

"We could get you to Arabasta," Nami begun in a smug tone. "But It'll cost you. Let's say … a billion Berry!"

Vivi's face fell. Luffy sweat-dropped.

'She's acting like Vivi asked us to kill Whitebeard or something.' he thought.

"Nami-san, the kingdom could pay that if we were doing good!" Vivi replied to the offer in a somewhat desperate tone. "But we've been in crisis for a few years now, not to mention we're in a state of war."

"But you know who is responsible?" Luffy said, but it wasn't a question. It was a statement. She nodded anyway.

"So, who's the mastermind?" Zoro asked after a while. Vivi paled and shook her hands in front of her in denial to answer that.

"I-I can't possibly tell you that. You'll be targeted." Vivi cried out. Luffy pouted.

"But we c-" Zoro began.

"NO! I can't tell you! You saved me and he's a horrible enemy. There's no way you'd be able to even touch him!" Vivi yelled. "He's the Royal Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile!"

There was silence.

Luffy and Zoro sweat-dropped, while both Vivi and Nami stared at each other in horror. Then something landed on the roof of the nearby building. Nami slowly turned her head in horror. She saw an otter and a vulture, both on the roof, both wearing shades, looking intimidating.

Then she turned around and grabbed Vivi by her clothes and started shaking her wildly while crying comically and shouting at her with shark teeth. A sight that would normally be funny. Well, to Luffy it was, so he did what he always did when things were funny. He started laughing. Nami then took off, trying to escape.

"Well guys, it was nice being in the crew, but now I'm leaving before I'm killed." she said, but couldn't do that, because the otter stopped her in her tracks with freshly made pictures of her as well as Zoro and Luffy.

"Wow, very nice!" she said while clapping and the otter bowed dramatically in gratitude. Then she turned back and regained her crying-shark expression, which she must have picked up from Arlong somewhere in the past (or something).

"NOW I CAN'T EVEN ESCAPE!" she yelled at Vivi, who tried to comfort her by offering her meager (compared to the price demanded) savings. Then she turned to Luffy and Zoro.

"Why aren't you guys worried?" she asked in a disbelieving tone as the two of them remained seated and were talking excitedly about the Shichibukai. Zoro snorted.

"This guy," he said and pointed at Luffy. "Dueled Dracule Mihawk at Baratie and they were pretty evenly matched."

"HE WHAT?!" both of the girls shouted. Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment.

"Hawky held back and was only defending against me." he said. The girls gaped at them in disbelief. 'Hawky?!' all three of his friends thought.

"Don't say that. I totally lost to him only using the knife. Even if he did hold back and never attack, you still forced him to take you very seriously!" Zoro told him. Then he looked at Nami's gawking expression.

"Princess girl, I get why you're surprised, but why you Nami? Didn't anyone tell you?" Zoro asked. She shook her head.

"Yosh!" Luffy announced and stood up, raising both hand in the air. "Let's go kick the crap out of Crocodile."

* * *

A few minutes, an explosion, a little crying and nakama-dragging later …

* * *

"It's very good that you've managed to get away from your pursuers … " a soft melodic voice commented. Luffy smirked but kept quiet.

"It sure is." Nami answered.

"Watch out for the shallows so you don't damage the hull." the voice said again.

"You can count on me for that." the same person replied. "Ummm, was that you, Luffy?"

Luffy sweat-dropped.

'True, I don't have an incredibly manly voice, but I don't sound like THAT.' Luffy thought, but didn't voice it.

He looked at her.

"Nice ship." the voice commented again. Everyone turned around. Sitting on the railing of the ship was none other than Nico Robin, wearing a cowboy hat, purple boots and an overall very revealing outfit complete with a very short purple skirt as well as also very short purple vest.

'Wow, evil Robin is very easy on the eyes.' Luffy thought. The woman seemed to look at everyone individually, but her gaze rested on Luffy for the longest time, first at his scar and then at his face. She was studying his expression.

'He seems completely unsurprised by my intrusion. Like he's been expecting me.' she thought. Her gaze then left Luffy and reached the princess of Arabasta.

"I saw Mr. 8 not too long ago, Mrs. Wednesday." Robin told her. This of course caused Vivi to become enraged.

"You killed Igaram!" she shouted in anger. Luffy then took a step forward. He didn't want to do that, but he was forced to act at least somewhat angry at her to not arouse any suspicion.

"Even if you did, why are you on the ship?" he shouted. He hoped it was convincing enough. He knew Robin would be by far the hardest to keep things from. "Why are you here?"

"What are you doing here, Miss AllSunday?" Vivi asked in a panicked tone.

"Miss AllSunday? Whose partner is that?" Nami asked.

"Crocodile's." Luffy answered for Vivi.

"Aren't you?" he asked, looking up to her. She looked a bit surprised, but then she smirked. Everyone else also looked at him, confused at how he would know.

"And just how did you know that, _Captain_?" she asked, putting emphasis on the last word. It was very weird for him to hear her refer to him like that, at least without adding '-san' at the end.

"Your aura told me that. Your aura fits only a person in a position of power. Like to the partner of the boss." Luffy said and smirked. She looked at him with a somewhat surprised expression.

"Also, " he continued. "Your bounty is very high."

He could see her façade of indifference and amusement falter for just a moment, replaced by a look of shock, but then she quickly regained it and smirked back.

"I see." she replied.

"Now, what are you doing here?" he asked in a bit more hostile tone. "And how do you know of her, Vivi?"

"We shadowed her in order to determine the name of the boss." Vivi replied. Robin giggled softly.

"Correction, Miss Wednesday – I let you shadow me." she told her.

"So you're a good guy?" Luffy asked. Nami punched him in the head, which didn't do anything, but whatever.

"She's a girl, Luffy." she told him. "I know that." He pouted, but inwardly, he sweat-dropped. 'Calling her a good girl sounds even worse … but fine! Have it your way, Nami!'

"I knew that. So you were also the one who told him his identity was exposed!"

"Correct!"

"So, she's a bad girl." Luffy announced. Nami seemed to have realized at how this sounded judging by her expression. Robin looked at Luffy with a somewhat wide-eyed expression.

"You shouldn't call me that. It sounds … wrong." she told him without changing her tone. Vivi seemed irritated by her shift of attention.

"I know." Luffy replied and pointed to his female crew member. "But Nami told me to."

Robin looked at her with an unamused expression.

"You sure have weird thoughts." she told her and Nami flinched under her gaze, but then Robin's attention shifted back on the now glaring Vivi.

"What exactly are your intentions here?" she asked her.

"Who knows … " Robin answered and closed her eyes. "But you're all so serious about it. I just _had_ to cooperate. A princess, who actually thinks she can make an enemy of Baroque works and not only expects to survive, but also save her country. It's just so ridiculous."

Those words were the last straw for Vivi. She roared in anger and in response everyone who had a weapon pointed it at Robin. Zoro unsheathed two of his swords, Nami took her staff into her hands. Usopp and Sanji pointed at her head, with a slingshot and a pistol respectively. Luffy made no move.

"Would you mind not pointing such dangerous things at me?" she told them and Luffy saw a hand appear out of everyone that was armed and slap their weapons out of their hands. The hands disappeared almost immediately afterward. The others were confused and shocked. They correctly assumed that it was a devil fruit though.

Sanji commented on Robin's beauty.

'He's right.' Luffy thought and then looked at each of the girls. 'I'm so lucky. All three of my female nakama are beautiful.'

Then he gained a thoughtful expression. 'Come to think of it, we don't really have any bad-looking nakama. Well, Brook _is _a skeleton, but he makes it look great!'

"Really, don't be in such a rush."Robin said and startled him from his thoughts. "I'm not under any orders at the moment. I have no reason to fight you at the moment."

Then she used her devil fruit powers to snatch his hat. Luffy gritted his teeth in irritation. She may be his future nakama, but right now she was an enemy, so he didn't like her just taking the hat. She looked at his hat and then back at him.

"So you're the famous Straw Hat captain, huh?" she asked.

"Monkey _D_ Luffy." she continued, putting emphasis on the middle name.

Luffy never fully understood the significance of D. He knew the people, who carried the initial often became very important in an era. Monkey D Garp, Monkey D Dragon, Portgas D Ace, Gol D Roger, Marshall D Teach as well as himself were all highly important, worldwide renowned figures, whose actions and words influenced and changed everything in the world, the kind of change that even other (non-D) renowned people could only dream of doing. Roger, Garp, Ace and Teach all changed the world in their own way and Dragon and Luffy were about to, although Luffy personally thought, maybe out of his pride or maybe out of a better reason, that the changes they caused would be nothing compared to what him and his father would do (especially together).

He glared at her as she put his hat on top of her own hat.

"What bad luck … " she commented. "You pirates picking up a princess that Baroque works wants dead. And even though the princess is protected by a very powerful pirate, your chances with Mr. 0 aren't exactly high. But the worst is your next destination."

Nami looked at her in surprise and then looked at her Log-pose.

"The next island is Little garden." Robin continued with a smirk. "My dears ..." Sanji's eye turned into a heart upon hearing this, "Even if we do absolutely nothing, you won't make it to your little kingdom, Princess."

Said princess gritted her teeth.

"Isn't all that really foolish?" the Baroque works second in command asked, but then threw them two objects. Hat to Luffy and an eternal pose to Arabasta to Vivi.

"I'm curious though, " she said and looked at Luffy. "Why didn't you point anything at me?"

Luffy then smirked and to her horror and the surprise of everyone on board, Robin noticed in his hands both her hat as well as the eternal pose. Nobody had seen him even move. Luffy looked at her hat for a moment and then put it on top of his.

"It's simple. You were a _good girl_ and kept your … hands … mostly to yourself. If you were a _bad girl_ you wouldn't be leaving this ship in a very good state." Luffy told her in a casual tone. It was the simple admission that scared her. It wasn't a threat, it was a statement.

He threw her back the hat and she caught her and regained her composure somewhat.

"As for this." he said, looking at the Eternal pose resting on his palm. "I don't need it. I want to see both Little Garden and Drum."

Then the eternal pose seemed to spontaneously shatter into pieces.

* * *

_I've named this chapter like this because this is, apart from when they were trapped by Crocodile, the only time when Nami, Robin and Vivi were together in the same place. _

_There is not much else that needs commenting, apart from maybe the Luffy-Robin interaction. I still haven't decided whether romance is yes or no, but at the very least I've now crossed out Nami (Since if I wanted LuNa I really should have made it start earlier on I think and I never was that crazy about LuNa to begin with. I mean it's not that I don't like it, it's just ... it's so common. Practically every One Piece fanfiction with romance has LuNa. Aside from that, I don't like bitchy women. :D). Anyway, Robin is most highly probable, while Hancock is still possible, but improbable. _

_If you want to ask about the 'she's easy on the eyes' comment - for now it merely means that she didn't have very many clothes on when she was "evil", but it could get another meaning if I decide to pursue romance. But, like I said before, if there is romance it won't ever become a main focus. Not even nearly. Also, if it happens, it will probably progress slowly (in terms of storyline time at least)._

_Even if there's no romance at all, today's the day RobinxLuffy special friendship begins. As you could see, even when they first meet, Luffy and Robin already gang up together on the poor Navigator. :D_

_Also, the D thing. I didn't want to write that in the story as it'd get too long and Luffy couldn't possibly think about so much in such a short amount of time. Here's the thing. Luffy knows that Dragon wants to completely change the world and given his impressive power and reach, Luffy expects him to someday do it. Also, about himself. He already knows that by kicking the crap out of Croco-boy, he'll free up a Shichibukai position. This will enable the ugly fat bastard that we know as Teach to get a seat by kicking the crap out of Ace. Then the war will begin. Half because of him and half because of Mr. Fat and Mr. I'm-too-hot-for-a-shirt. At that point he'll already have had the same effect on the world as Mr. Fat and Mr. Too-hot-for-a-shirt. Then, he'll pulverize Enies Lobby and get global attention and outrage, making new pirates form in admiration as well as make pirates and marines alike to fear him. Then he'll rearrange Mr. I'm-an-ugly-rich-bastard's face into something a bit some pleasant, again getting outrage. Then he'll pay a visit to Impel Down and Marineford and kick the crap of the Navy and Nazy-wannabees and by then he'll be known as the craziest pirate who ever lived (Sorry Doflamingo) as well as the one who did what Whitebeard himself could not. By then he'll already be a legend. So that's why Luffy thinks he'll dwarf everyone else in overall impact, since he also expects to become the pirate king someday._

_Phew, now I'm done. Thanks for reading (if you did) and please review._

* * *

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	22. The not so Little Garden

**22. The not so Little Garden**

"So this is Little Garden, eh?" Sanji asked as the ship sailed further along the river leading into the center of the island.

"There's nothing little about it!" Nami commented with a wide-eyed expression as she eyed the giant trees and giant plants as well as giant birds on the island.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Gegyagyagyagyagya … What fun humans!"_

"_Gebabababa! Let's help them out, Dorry!"_

"_Okay, Broggy!"_

* * *

Luffy sighed.

'I need to kick the crap out of Three. He's going to be a real jerk today.' he thought.

"We need some supplies!" Sanji announced. "I wonder if we can get them here?"

Luffy's lower lip twitched.

"I wonder if there's a Meat Restaurant here!" Luffy asked himself aloud.

Nami face-palmed and Zoro groaned in annoyance.

"What the hell would one be doing here?" Sanji yelled at Luffy. He shrugged.

"But you said we need supplies!" Luffy whined. Sanji sighed.

"I meant we need ingredients, shitty gomu!" he said in an annoyed tone. "I have no idea what goes on in your tiny brain!"

"That's mean!" Luffy whined. And he meant it. 'Honestly, Sanji was always too mean to me.'

Then Nami commented on the plants on the island.

"CRAAA!" a bird called somewhere near. Nami covered her ears. Sanji noticed this.

"So cute!" he commented with a weird perverted expression.

Usopp turned around, also covering his ears.

"You mean ME?" he asked while using the 'Sure Kill Captain Usopp cute expression'.

"OF COURSE NOT, SHITHEAD!" Sanji yelled at him, irritated. Luffy however was looking at Vivi and Carue, who were doing the same thing.

"What about them?" he said and pointed at them. Sanji got a heart in his eye and started swirling around.

"Of course beautiful Vivi-chan is also cute!" he told her in his love-noodle state. Then he looked at Carue. "And emergency food over there is also cute!"

Carue flinched and sweated. Vivi wasn't pleased by this.

"Don't talk about Carue like that, Sanji-san!" she asked.

"HAII, VIVI-CHAN!"

Then the bird descended above Sanji and everybody pointed above his head. Sanji of course didn't know what was going on.

"Hey, what're you so nervous about?" he asked. "It's just a little bird."

The bird descended upon them and tried to grab Sanji, but …

"Gomu Gomu no Pistol!" Luffy announced and punched the bird away into the distance.

Vivi and Carue wide-eyed at the display, while the rest of them didn't really react that surprised, except Sanji, who thanked Luffy and muttered a curse under his breath, something about 'shitty oversized birds'. Luffy giggled happily and the rest looked at him in horror.

"This island is so cool!" Luffy beamed. "Sanji, make lunchboxes. I'm going on an adventure!"

"ADVENTURE!?" Nami and Usopp screamed. Luffy nodded.

"ADVENTURE!" he yelled, raising his hands high in the air.

"I wonder … " Vivi asked and everyone looked at her. "Could I also come?"

"Yosh! Come with me, Vivi! I'll protect you!" Luffy announced.

* * *

After a few hours and fighting giant dinosaurs (and getting eaten by one) ...

* * *

"YOU'RE HUGE!" Luffy beamed. He stood on the palm of the giant, Dorry. The huge 'man' wore a bronze helmet on his head, a blue cloak, some kind of waistband, green pants and brown shoes. He also had beaten looking shield and sword. He had a very long brown beard.

"Gegyagyagyagya … I was watching you! You played with the long necks in the forest. What a lively human! And strong too! You smacked them around pretty good before you got eaten!" Dorry commented in a bright mood.

"Are you a giant?" Luffy asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Gegyagyagya … I am!" he replied cheerfully. "I'm the mightiest warrior of Elbaf! Dorry!"

Luffy was glad to see the giant boss again. He and his friend Broggy were always the kind of fighters Luffy, but especially his crew-member Usopp looked up to.

"I'm Luffy!" he introduced himself. "I'm a pirate!"

The giant looked at him for a moment.

"Gegyagya … That's great!" he announced. "I'm also a pirate! I was once very famous!"

He sensed that Dorry was a great deal stronger than the giant he defeated at Marineford, as well as Oimo and Kashi.

Luffy, to his amusement, saw in the corner of his eye the panicked face of Vivi and the catatonic Carue on the ground. He turned into their direction and pointed at them.

"Dorry, those are Vivi and Carue and they are my friends!" he announced. Vivi shook scared as the giant proceeded to pick them up.

"Let me take you to my place, you guys!" the giant announced and took them.

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

Dorry and Luffy laughed heartily while they ate. Vivi and Carue also ate somewhere in the background.

"Hey, that's great!" Luffy beamed while sitting on a giant piece of half eaten meat.

"Of course! Gegyagyagyagya! And your little lunchbox is also good!" Dorry replied. "Though it was much too small!"

"You bet!" Luffy told him. "This was a pirate lunchbox made by my cook. If you said it was bad, I'd have to kick your ass!"

"Kick my ass?" the giant asked and Vivi and Carue spat out their drink, but Dorry didn't think anything bad of it. "What a funny little human!"

"They're so friendly with each other!" Vivi commented in shock.

"Giant Ossan, your sword looks very beaten up!" Luffy said and pointed to his weapon. Dorry looked at it and then took it in his hands.

"Gegyagyagya! You're right! But it's survived for so many years. I've had it ever since our feud started!" Dorry commented.

"Well, you see, there's a rule on Elbaf!" Dorry started. "If you start a duel with another giant, you must leave Elbaf! And then the god of Elbaf decides who is supposed to return! I've started a feud with another giant, who is also on this island. Until one of us dies in an honorable duel, we can't leave. Only one may return!"

"Wow!" Luffy beamed. "And what was your feud about?"

The giant stopped and thought for a while.

"You see, I can't remember! It's been 100 years already! Not even Broggy remembers and he has better memory!" Dorry explained.

"A hundred years?!" Vivi stuttered. Dorry looked at her.

"Yes! Surprised? We giants live three times longer than you pipsqueaks!" he answered.

"COOL!" Luffy beamed.

Then the volcano erupted. Dorry stood up and Luffy could hear another giant doing the same in the distance.

"I don't remember when we decided that way, but this our signal!" Dorry announced pointing to the volcano.

"FIGHT WELL!" Luffy yelled in encouragement.

"Gegyagyagyagya! Of course!"

* * *

An hour or so later (after the fight) …

* * *

Dorry sat down and rested. Luffy, who was watching the battle, complimented him. The giant laughed in appreciation. Then Vivi remembered something.

"Dorry-san!" she asked. "Is it true that the Log-pose takes a whole year to set on this island?"

Dorry's expression turned a bit more serious.

"Didn't you guys notice all those puny human bones over there?" Dorry asked. Vivi's expression turned into one of shock. "It seems a year on this island is too much for humans. Most wind up dying before the Log-pose sets. I don't know why."

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Nami came from her cabin with a totally red face. _

"_We have to get to Arabasta!" she announced._

"_No, Nami-san, we have to get you to a doctor!" Vivi told her._

"_That's right, Nami-swan!" Sanji confirmed._

_._

_._

_._

" … _girl, if you had arrived even one day later, I probably wouldn't have able to save you. You're immensely lucky … "_

* * *

Luffy's eyes widened in horror.

"But, if you're meant to live on, then you'll be able to leave! One can always get lucky." Dorry continued.

'That's right. We were lucky … and we'll be lucky again.' Luffy thought and calmed down.

"I guess you're right!" Luffy commented and then they laughed together.

Then Dorry put the empty barrel on the ground and reached for a new one.

Luffy then realized something.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_HOW DARE YOU DO THIS?! INTERRUPT A SACRED DUEL LIKE THIS! DON'T THINK YOU'LL GET AWAY WITH THIS, HUMANS!"_

* * *

"NO, WAIT, DORRY!" Luffy yelled, surprising the three that were with him. Dorry dropped the barrel back on the ground.

"What is it?" the giant asked confused. "You gave me this to drink, didn't you!?"

"I know, " Luffy said and sighed.

"But there's something wrong with that barrel." Luffy lied. It was a white lie. There was nothing really outstandingly different about the barrel, but Luffy needed to stop Dorry from drinking it.

" … Something's wrong?" Dorry asked in bewilderment. Luffy nodded and walked up to the barrel. He checked over the barrel. Dorry hadn't opened it yet, so Luffy did. Trough Luffy didn't really expect that, the barrel was surprisingly easy to open, meaning it was opened a short time ago and wasn't closed tightly enough.

"Someone did something." Luffy announced. All three looked at him, still confused.

"What?" the giant asked. Luffy took a saké glass from the ground where he set it when the giants went to battle. He filled the cup and smelled the sake. There was now no doubt.

"It's poisoned." Luffy told them. They all stared at him.

"Who would do something like that?" Vivi asked as she covered her mouth in shock. Luffy shook his head.

"Nobody on the crew. I trust those guys." Luffy replied honestly. "But I've sensed a few people skulking around on the island. It must have been them."

He turned to Dorry.

"Do you and your friend have a bounty?!" he asked. Dorry eyed him for a moment, but then nodded.

"I don't know If it's still active, but we each had a hundred million on our head." he replied. Luffy nodded.

"They tried to ruin the duel by weakening you. Then, when you lost, they'd try to kill Broggy themselves." Luffy told him. Dorry stood up abruptly.

"THEY TRIED TO RUIN A SACRED DUEL!?" he roared. Then, right at that moment, the volcano erupted again.

"I hate to ask, my friends, but could you-" Dorry started.

"Sure, Dorry, I'll make sure nobody interrupts!" Luffy interrupted Dorry's words. "FIGHT WELL!"

* * *

A few minutes later at the dueling spot …

* * *

"Dorry, so we fight again! Gababababa!" Broggy, the other giant announced. He had an axe and a shield. He wore a viking helmet on his head. He had a brown shirt, pants and shoes as well as a belt and a blue cloak, same as Dorry. Said giant then pu his hand close to a nearby mountain.

"Gababababa! Why did you bring the tiny human here?" Broggy asked. "To watch the fight?"

Dorry grunted in confirmation.

"Gegyagyaggya! Broggy! Someone is trying to influence the fight! They poisoned one of his sake barrels!" Dorry told him. Luffy could see that Broggy was angered by this. "So he offered to watch the fight."

"HOW DARE THEY TRY THAT!" Broggy roared. "I want to find them and squash them, but we must fight, my friend!"

And then, they fought.

Dorry struck first and brought his sword upon Broggy, but his blow was blocked. Then he retracted his sword and Broggy struck, a blow which Dorry also blocked. At almost the same time, Dorry struck again and his blow was blocked again. Then, they retracted their weapons at the same time and struck each other, this time blocking each other from victory with their weapons. This proceeded for some time then and then Luffy sensed something.

'Three.' he thought to himself. 'Finally you show your face.'

He jumped off the mountain, activating his 'Soru' and proceeded to intercept the incoming attack. But it was wax. Luffy tried to punch it away, but it wouldn't work that way. Instead, the wax surrounded him..

'This is still fine.' Luffy thought as he was being covered in wax. 'I still prevented him from interfering.'

Then Mr. 3 stepped out of the forest.

"Mugiwara!" he said in an annoyed tone. "Why did you have to interfere?"

Luffy was then completely covered in wax and the wax hardened.

"No matter." Galdino announced with a huff. "I've got your nakama and you can do nothing, when trapped in my wax."

True to his word, Luffy could feel his nakama nearby and two familiar weak (to him) auras near them.

'He must have used his wax to trap their legs.' he thought. 'He couldn't possibly have got Zoro otherwise. '

* * *

_Flashback:_

_In Impel down, Galdino (Mr. 3) and Buggy accidentally ran into Crocodile._

"_What do you think you're doing, Croco …. C-C-C-Cro-CROCODILE!"_

"_B-B-B-B-BO-BOSS!"_

"_Ah, Mr. 3! What is trash like you doing here?"_

* * *

'Can't sense Sanji though. They didn't get him.' he thought.

Then he heard a few thuds. Mr. 5 and Mrs. Valentine must have thrown his friends on the floor.

"Well, you tried well enough, Straw hats, but a superior criminal wins his battle before it has even begun. Hohohohoho!"

'Is that, so?!' Luffy thought. He activated his haki and the wax blackened and started to crack. Luffy noticed that Galdino's laugh abruptly stopped.

Then the wax around him shattered and as he emerged, he looked at the gaping expressions.

"Hi!" he greeted to them and waved his hand. Then he turned around and looked at the giants. They were still fighting. Good.

"LUFFY!" his nakama finally cried out, all at once. He walked towards them, to free them, but suddenly, he couldn't move anymore.

"I don't feel like freeing you." he told them. They gaped at him like he grew three heads, which to be fair was quite understandable in this situation.

'What is this?' he thought to himself. 'Why can't I move? Why did I say that?'

He looked to the ground. He couldn't speak , but apparently, he could still move a little bit. His eyes widened in horror.

'The girl … Three's partner! I was way too careless today! But why didn't I sense her?'

"Luffy, don't joke around!" Nami yelled. "You've got to free us!"

Zoro however, was looking at the ground underneath Luffy.

"I don't think he can. Look at that!" he said and pointed at the painted circular symbol underneath Luffy.

"Hohohoho! You freed yourself, Mugiwara, but even you can't do anything against miss Goldenweeks hypnotic ability! Your 70.000.000 bounty is as good as mine.

Luffy glanced to his right, where said girl stood, munching on an apple.

'Can't do anything?' he thought. 'Let's see about that!'

He tried to use his conquerors haki, but it wouldn't work and Luffy was absolutely sure he could have knocked her out, together with her accomplices. He tried to use observation haki, but it also wouldn't work. Last he tried Armament.

'Armament' he thought and as it was supposed to, his arm became shiny black. His eyes widened again, this time out of confusion.

'Why does armament work, but observation and intimidation don't?'

Then he got a look of realization.

'This kid's power … it prevents the usage of haki outside this circle.' he thought. 'But it can't be intentional. Three didn't know haki, so she sure as hell doesn't.'

He looked at his nakama in panic. There was nothing he could do right now. Galdino laughed some more as he saw his desperate fade.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Sanji's body fell on the ground, lifeless, just as Luffy ran onto the deck. He was completely charred. His cigarette fell on the floor. Akainu stood over him. He was the one who dealt the final blow._

_Akainu looked at him and smirked._

_"__You were too weak, Mugiwara."_

* * *

Luffy got more and more desperate and he turned his head around and around, desperate to find some hope. 'No, there's no way I'm losing my crew to Three of all people!'

Galdino laughed louder. Then he heard something. He turned his head upwards and looked at the tree.

While Zoro, Vivi and Nami lied on the ground, restrained by the wax, Usopp apparently climbed on top of the tree. He probably intended to rain gunpowder stars upon them. Luffy didn't know how the marksman managed to avoid getting taken, but he was glad he did.

Luffy noticed Usopp. Their eyes met. He motioned with his eyes for Usopp to target the girl.

Usopp's eyes widened. He understood. Luffy smiled.

'Sure Kill Surprise Usopp Gunpowder Star!' Usopp thought and pulled his slingshot … and fired.

Luffy could finally move again. Galdino's laugh stopped and he looked in absolute horror as Luffy roared.

"Thanks, Usopp! You saved us all!" Luffy yelled and ran towards Mr. 3.

"Armament." Luffy murmured and his right arm became shiny black. He pulled his arm backward.

"S-Shit!" Galdino yelled. "Candle Wall!"

"Gomu Gomu no Bullet!" Luffy announced and punched forward.

Mr.3's wall was of no help at all. The attack crushed through it like it was paper, not hard-as-steel wax. The offending officer agent flew through several trees before he finally hit a mountain and stopped. He imbedded himself into it.

Usopp fell down from the destroyed tree and crashed into the ground. Then he stood up.

"H-Hey, why didn't you help the falling hero?!" he complained and touched the bump on his head.

"Sorry!" Luffy apologized, for once sincerely. "But you're right. You are a hero!"

Usopp raised his chest proudly.

"Now, as for you … " Luffy announced and turned around and faced his remaining opponents. Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine started backing away in fear.

"Gomu Gomu no … " they screamed and started running away in panic. "Twin Pistol."

* * *

A few minutes later ...

* * *

Sanji strolled casually to where the Straw hats and the giants were seated.

"Nami-swan! Vivi-chwan!" he shouted in his love induced state. " … and the rest of you idiots!"

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" Usopp, Zoro as well as Carue (altrough not in words) shouted at him.

"Oi, Sanji!" Luffy greeted.

"Oh, I was just having a talk with Mr. 0!" Sanji announced to them, shutting them up. "And I got us this!"

In his hand was the eternal pose to Arabasta.

* * *

_So I'm done with Little Garden! Yeah, Usopp saved the day. If you're wondering why Luffy couldn't sense Mrs GoldenWeek. It's because of her very nature. She is used to appearing weak and harmless and she plays with and influences the minds of her enemies. Because of her role, she has no real aura that Luffy could feel. As you could see Mr. 3 and the rest were absolutely no match for Luffy when he was freed, but given Luffy's extreme weakness to any form of hypnosis combined with the entirely coincidental disablement of his haki as well as the capture of his nakama, Luffy was very nearly defeated. _

_Luffy gets a lesson to never get too careless, even with his overwhelming power. _

_Next up, Drum island. Please review if you will._

* * *

If you like my story and want to make me happy, then click this link (hopefully in massively overwhelming numbers :D ): adf(replace this with dot)ly/6qkpw


	23. The Monster of the Drum Kingdom

**23. The Monster of the Drum Kingdom**

Luffy was on the figurehead of the Going Merry and he looked into the sea. He thought about what happened back on Little Garden.

'Damn! I messed up!' he thought, but then someone put a hand on his shoulder.

"Oh, Zoro!" Luffy greeted. "What is it?"

"Oi, Luffy, you're still dwelling on what happened?" he asked in a quiet tone. Luffy sighed.

"I screwed up." he said simply.

"We're still alive. Don't dwell on the past." Zoro told him. Then he laughed. "And Usopp got a confidence boast!"

Luffy then laughed as well.

"I guess it was good for that a least." he agreed.

"Did you want anything else?" he asked Zoro as he noticed that he still lingered near the figurehead. Zoro sighed.

"Yes actually. Could you help me with my training?" he asked. Luffy turned around in surprise.

"How?" he asked.

"By sparring." was the answer. Luffy looked at him.

"But Sanji is closer to you in strength. You could spar with him." he told him. Zoro shook his head.

"Nah, the cook is fawning over the women and he's not a swordsman anyway." he told him.

"Are you saying I'm a swordsman?" Luffy asked him. Zoro's eye twitched.

"Just spar with me!" he yelled. "I need to get better!"

"Okay." Luffy replied and stood up.

They walked up to the deck and took positions, facing each-other. Luffy unsheathed his sword and Zoro unsheathed two of his.

"Not going to use that one?" Luffy asked and pointed at the white katana. Zoro shook his head.

"I need to get used to these two troublemakers!" Zoro told him and lifted his two katanas slightly. "Yubashiri is lighter than most katanas and Sandai Kitetsu is way too bloodthirsty."

"Yeah, I noticed." Luffy said. Zoro looked at him weirdly.

"The bounty hunter town." Luffy told him and he nodded. Then they clashed.

Zoro attacked. Luffy blocked the swords and then Zoro retracted one of them and attempted to cut Luffy, who pushed Zoro's first sword away with his own and dodged the slash by pulling his body slightly backward. Then he moved forward and attacked and Zoro stopped his attempt with both of his swords.

Zoro then pushed Luffy back slightly and retracted Kitetsu and attempted again to slash Luffy, who avoided getting cut by jumping back.

Then Zoro attempted to execute an attack similar to 'Santoryu Onigiri' (though without the sword in his mouth), but Luffy stopped both of his swords in the middle with his own, before he could do any damage. As they fought, everyone came on the deck to watch the fight.

"Why are you fighting?" Vivi asked a little scared. They did fight with real weapons so she assumed they had a problem.

"We're … sparring." Zoro said as he threw another attack, which Luffy parried.

"With real weapons?" Vivi asked shocked. Carue cried out something, presumably something similar. Luffy tried to slash Zoro, but his sword was blocked and he was pushed a little back. Zoro then unleashed a series of attacks with both his swords, which were then either blocked or avoided.

"We're not going to kill each-other!" Luffy told her. "Besides, when has a small cut ever killed anyone?"

"WHAT ABOUT A BIG ONE?!" Usopp yelled at them and nearly slapped them. Sanji lighted himself a cigarette.

"I'm just glad Zoro is getting is butt kicked!" he commented. Zoro gained a twitch on his forehead as he dashed ahead toward Luffy.

"I'd like to see you do better, stupid cook!" he huffed as his swords were again blocked.

"Zoro's right." Luffy said as he proceeded to attack his sparring partner multiple times, which he blocked without too much trouble. "Also, cuts work better against rubber than kicks."

Zoro smirked and continued to attack in contentment, while Sanji gritted his teeth angrily.

He attacked Luffy again, but this time when Luffy blocked one of his blades, he didn't dodge the second, but to everyone's surprise blocked the blade with his blackened arm.

"WHAT?!" yelled everyone together. Luffy simply pushed both of his swords away and then showed his tongue.

"Shishishi, did you expect that to cut me?" he asked them as they gaped at him.

"Luffy, you can block swords with your hands?" Zoro asked in a disbelieving tone. Luffy nodded.

"Armament haki sure is useful!" he stated and grinned. Zoro sighed.

"Luffy, why do you even carry a sword, then?" he asked him. "You're much better with your fists and if you can block swords you don't really need it."

Luffy gained a thoughtful expression as he scratched his head.

"Don't know." he said. "Cutting ships is kinda funny. Also, Shanks said that a pirate is cooler with a sword!"

Everyone deadpanned. Except Vivi and Carue.

"W-Wait, cutting ships?" Vivi asked.

"Yeah." Nami spoke in an uncharacteristically soft tone. "This idiot can cut ships in half."

This got the attention of everyone.

'Chopper, here we come.' thought Luffy as he finally sheathed his sword and made his way to her.

"Nami-san, are you okay?" Sanji asked.

"I'm just feeling a bit tired." she tried to lie, but even if they couldn't see through the lie, they noticed her red face. Luffy touched her forehead and after a moment pulled his hand away.

"You're burning up." he told her. Then he looked her in the eyes.

"Could you pull your shirt up for a moment, Nami?" he asked her.

"Why?" she yelled, but her tone lacked its usual harshness.

"Just do it." he told her again. Sanji was about to yell at Luffy, but Vivi stopped him. Nami finally complied. On her stomach was a very nasty looking purple mark. Luffy poked it slightly and she flinched in pain. He stood up.

"Did you get It in the jungle?" he asked her.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_"Ouch!" Nami shouted._

_"What's wrong?" Zoro asked her._

_"Nothing, just a bug bite."_

* * *

She nodded.

"We need to find Drum island right now. It's supposed to be on the route to Arabasta." Luffy told them in a commanding tone.

"Why, what's wrong with Nami-san?" Vivi asked in a shocked tone.

"Shanks told me about this … " Luffy lied. "We need to get to Drum as fast as we can."

"W-Why?" asked Usopp. Luffy sighed.

"If we don't find her help … " Luffy begun. Everyone gulped.

"She'll die."

* * *

A few hours later …

* * *

After a bit of arguing after Luffy's revelation, where Nami tried to convince everyone that getting to Arabasta was more important, but Vivi wouldn't take it, even after learning about everything bad that's happened in her homeland, they sailed towards Drum. During the way, they were ambushed by Wapol and his soldiers.

Luffy and most of his crew stood on the deck of the ship. They were surrounded by hostile soldiers, who were aiming their rifles at them.

Wapol came down from the ship, eating a piece of meat and a knife. He was fat and had dark purple hair and a metallic jaw. He wore plate armor and a large hooded overcoat, made from an animal fur.

He asked them if they had an eternal pose to Drum, which they denied, after which he told them he was going to take any treasure or supplies they have on board.

He then proceeded to eat a part of the ship … and was sent flying.

* * *

A few more hours later …

* * *

The Going Merry entered Drum territory, but was ambushed by the villagers, who were exceptionally hostile to them. Even when they did nothing, they fired at them, nearly hitting Sanji twice and Vivi once, the latter of which was blocked by Luffy. Vivi, having learned that sometimes it was better to show piety and bow their head, than to proceed with violence, bowed her head and begged them to let them on the island. Luffy followed her example and soon after everyone else followed his.

After letting them on the island, Dalton, their unofficial leader took them to his house, where they talked. First he told them about the doctor and her usual visits. Then Dalton mentioned the recent raid by a group of pirates, the reason for the people's hostile behavior.

"Blackbeard?" Luffy muttered and clenched his fist, unknowingly turning it black. This caught the attention of his crew, who knew that this that didn't happen unless Luffy was considerably angry, as well as Dalton, who stared in shock at his arm. He too, however, got to the same conclusion.

"You know that pirate?" he asked him. Luffy nodded.

"He was my brothers' nakama, but if he did this, then he must have betrayed them." Luffy told him. He already knew that had happened. Thatch was dead and Ace and maybe Sabo too were coming to get him.

"Your brothers?" Dalton asked. Luffy nodded again.

"My older brothers are part of the Whitebeard pirates under Yonkou Edward Newgate." Luffy answered. He was met with shocked stares.

"Sabo or 'Blue Gentleman' Sabo has a bounty of 380 million Berry," Luffy told them and they gaped like fishes.

"380 MILLION BERRY?" Usopp yelled. Luffy smirked.

"My other brother has an even higher bounty." He continued. Their jaws dropped.

"E-Even higher?!" Vivi stuttered. Luffy nodded.

"His name is Ace or 'Fire Fist' Ace. He has a bounty of 550 million Berry." He finished and looked at their astonished faces.

'I wonder how they would react if I also told them who my father, grandpa and the one who gave me the hat are.' Luffy thought and suppressed a chuckle. 'Though Zoro already knows about gramps, but he isn't here.'

"Blue gentleman and Fire Fist." Sanji said in a soft voice.

"Total bounty of 930 million Berry." Usopp continued.

"Combined with yours, that's a billion Berry." Vivi finished.

"WHAT?!" all three yelled together. Dalton looked as pale as a wall. Luffy waved his hand in dismissal as he continued.

"Anyway, Blackbeard was one of them. He's not as strong as me or his former captain, but he's a formidable pirate." he told them. Then he turned to Dalton.

"If a pirate of that caliber decides to invade, there's not much defense against him." He told him. "You were lucky that we didn't decide to act on your hostility. Sanji and Zoro are more than enough for a small army and that's without including me."

Dalton nodded, shaken a bit by his words.

"Now, we I really must take Nami to the doctor. Where is that witch?" he asked. Dalton flinched at the last word.

"Y-You really shouldn't call her that!" Dolton told him.

"Listen, she's … "

* * *

After a more hours of running, saving Sanji from getting stomped on, avoiding 'shitty giant rabbits' and Wapol (which was thankfully much easier with Soru) and mountain climbing (which was, again, much easier with Armament protecting his hands) …

* * *

Luffy woke up. Upon coming on top of the mountain, he was pretty exhausted and after being ensured that his nakama were going to be fine, he dozed off right there in the snow.

He opened his eyes.

And there was Chopper.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Chopper's charred body lay on top of a few marine bodies in the Men's quarters. The eyes that were usually so full of life and joy and curiosity were now empty. _

* * *

He quickly hid as Luffy sat up in bed, well the wrong way, but anyway, he hid behind the door frame. Luffy smiled. The reindeer approached him cautiously.

"You're awake." He spoke.

"You can talk … " Luffy said. " … You're a monster."

Chopper's face fell and he looked down, probably having been called that for the thousandth time. When the boy in the straw hat smiled at him, he thought that this time was going to be different. And now, he called him a monster.

"Just like me." Luffy said. Chopper's eyes widened in surprise and he looked at him.

"Look!" Luffy told him and started to stretch his body in all possible ways. Chopper looked at him weirdly and then started to laugh.

Luffy then smiled and leaned a bit forward. Chopper flinched and 'hid' again.

"What's your name?" he asked. The reindeer stepped forward again.

"It's Tony Tony Chopper." He told him.

"I'm Monkey D Luffy, the other man here is Sanji and the girl we carried is Nami. How is she by the way?"

"She's going to be fine." Chopper told him. "But Doctorine told me that 'the blasted girl was walking around naked on a prehistoric island.'"

Luffy looked at him for a moment and Chopper nearly panicked, thinking Luffy would be mad. To his surprise, Luffy laughed.

"Heeheehee It's seems you're getting along well, Chopper!" a voice said. Luffy looked in the direction of the voice and noticed the body of a young woman, but then as he looked up he noticed the head of an old woman with sunglasses.

He blinked a few times. 'So … my memory wasn't wrong.'

"So you're Doctorine?" he asked. She nodded.

"Heeheehee I am." Dr. Kureha answered.

"You were pretty reckless to climb a mountain on your own, carrying two of your nakama." She told him. "But if you had waited much longer, she would have died so good job."

Luffy nodded.

"By the way," she asked. "You got up here pretty much undamaged. By all logic, your fingers should be completely messed up and you should have been half frozen, but you were only exhausted. Why is that?"

Chopper looked up to him in interest.

"I was also wondering about that." He told him. Luffy looked at them.

"Ah, that would be my haki!" he said. "Haki can protect your body, if you master it. Watch this!"

He pushed his right hand in the air and clenched his fist.

"Armament." He muttered and his fist became shiny black. They both looked at him in surprise.

"COOL!"Chopper beamed. Luffy smiled. This was the Chopper he knew. Doctorine however, stepped forward and grabbed his arm and looked at it closer.

"I've heard about this." she muttered and after a few moments she released it. Luffy unclenched it and stopped the armament.

"We also came here because we need a doctor on our pirate ship." He said. He looked at Doctorine. She smiled and nodded after motioning her eyes at Chopper.

"Pirates!?" Chopper yelled. "Pirates are scum!"

To Chopper's surprise, Luffy nodded.

"Yes, most are. But some of us sail to be free and have adventures." He told him.

"Adventures?" Chopper repeated. Luffy nodded, but then Chopper's eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"What is it?" Doctorine asked.

"It's Wapol!" he told her. "I smell Wapol. He's here!"

* * *

After a few minutes, at the entrance …

* * *

"Dr. Kureha! What have you done with my castle? Why is there a pirate flag there?" Wapol asked as Luffy, Chopper and Doctorine stepped from the building. Sanji woke up, but Luffy told him to protect Nami, although he really meant him not to kill himself by fighting outside.

"It isn't your castle anymore, Wapol. Just leave." Dr. Kureha told him. He scowled in anger.

"I'm going to destroy that damn flag!" Wapol announced. Somehow, using the abilities of his Baku Baku no mi, he spawned a cannon from his body and fired.

Luffy activated his 'Soru' and jumped towards the flag. As the cannonball neared him, Luffy muttered his usual word. The cannonball crashed into his chest.

Wapol laughed as the smoke cleared, but as it did his laugh abruptly stopped. Kureha and Chopper then noticed that Luffy wasn't near them.

'Where did he go?' they thought to themselves.

"Mugiwara!" Wapol yelled in anger. "Why did you protect that flag?"

The doctor duo looked up and noticed a completely undamaged flag as well as a completely undamaged Luffy in front of it.

'When did he get there?' Chopper thought. Wapol then fired again, gaining the same result.

"You can't destroy this flag, Big Mouth." Luffy announced.

'Big Mouth?!' Chopper thought with wide-eyes.

"I don't know what this flag stands for, but I know what every pirate stands for! It's a symbol of conviction!" Luffy told him. Then he activated his 'Soru' again and to the surprise and horror of everyone present, he seemed to reappear right in front of Wapol and he pushed him into the snow. Said man muttered curses under his breath as he tried to free himself.

Of course, his two ministers tried to help him, but Chopper intercepted them and Luffy watched in joy as the reindeer showed almost all of his transformed forms again, except monster point, and used them to beat the crap out of them.

"You're so cool!" Luffy yelled with stars in his eyes.

"Moron! Praising me won't make me happy at all, stupid idiot!" Chopper muttered as he danced his awkward little dance.

Luffy then released a fuming Wapol, who took a step back.

"Listen, Mugiwara!" he told Luffy in an angry, but controlled tone. "I'm the king of this island! You have no right to do this to me."

"Really?!" Luffy asked in a childish. "But I've decided you won't be king anymore, Big Mouth!"

"What?" Wapol asked in an irritated voice.

"A few hours ago, I've claimed this island as my own. And you're not king anymore." Luffy told him.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_"What are those?" Dalton asked as Luffy handed him something. "Pirate flags?"_

_He looked at him in confusion._

_"The symbol of the Straw hat pirates. " Luffy told him. Dalton looked ready to say something._

_"Wapol will return soon, as we've met him on the sea and he was headed here." Luffy told him. Dalton's eyes widened in shock._

_ "When he arrives, don't fight him. Just point him towards the castle and say someone has dared to claim it. He'll immediately come there and then I'll kick his ass!"_

_Dalton thought about it for a moment and then nodded._

_"What about the flags?" he asked after a while. Luffy looked back at him._

_"After I've kicked his ass, you can hang those around. To signal that you're under my protection. If you want to." Luffy told him. "I can't guarantee anything, but it should save you from at least common pirates and other king-wannabees."_

_"You'd do that for us?" Dalton asked in shock. "Put us under your protection?"_

_Luffy nodded._

_"Your country will save my navigator, so it's the least I can do. Now I have to leave and makes sure that happens."_

* * *

"Claimed?" all three of the remaining people asked. Luffy nodded.

"You can't do that, Mugiwara! Listen! Drum Kingdom is a member kingdom of the world government. If you do this, the Government WILL take action."

Luffy laughed.

"I'm wanted for 70.000.000 Berry, Big Mouth. Don't care." He told him.

'70.000.000 Berry?' both Chopper and Doctorine repeated in their minds.

"Now leave!" Luffy ordered, but the fallen king wouldn't go that easily. He tried to punch Luffy, but he avoided. Then he pulled back his fist.

"Armament." He announced. "Gomu Gomu no Pistol.

And that was that.

* * *

A bit later, after everyone arrives …

* * *

" … I just wanted to thank you. For all you've done for us today." Chopper said nervously.

"What are you saying? Come with us!" Luffy told him.

"I can't!" he told him. "You're a human and I'm a monster reindeer and-"

"SHUT UP!" Luffy interrupted, raising hands in the sky. "LET'S GO!"

Chopper couldn't help but cry uncontrollably. Only this time, the tears were tears of joy. He has found his nakama.

* * *

_... And I'm spent! It's almost 1 AM right now in my place, so I'm getting sleepy, but I'll finish this up anyway. _

_First thing: About the sword. I got a few comments about how bad it is that Luffy uses a sword. As I'm sure you've noticed, this is OOC Luffy. That's first. Secondly, this is my story. And since I've decided on the sword as a side thing, I'm going to stick to that. Thirdly. I won't make Luffy use the sword, then forget about it. This is the sword Shanks gave him. Making him throw it away would be just plain bad writing. Fourth. Luffy will never use it against any enemy worth anything, except maybe to block some otherwise hard to block moves. The sword is for weaklings and ships. Fifth. Nobody else hates the sword. And Sixth. If you really hate the sword that much, do as you yourself suggested and ignore any training or weakling/ship cutting done with it and pretend Luffy doesn't have it. Since the sword won't be used a lot, you should be able to do that quite easily and without skipping too much of the story. Either that, or pretend Luffy is someone else or whatever. (As a side note, I find it kinda hard to believe that the sword would be the one and only thing worth commenting on in 22 chapters.) Alright, now I'll stop with this Luffy owning a sword crap._

_Alright, now that that's out of the way, I'd like your opinion on the sword fight itself. How was it? Good, bad, okay? I'm good with a non-sword fight I think, but I've always found it was weird for me to write a sword fight. It seemed too slow, too fake ... or something as I wrote. So please comment and if you have any ideas for it, please share._

_Also, Luffy told Vivi, Usopp, Sanji and Dalton about his brothers. The topic came up and Luffy had no reason not to tell them, so he did. They are understandably shocked. They might have just lost their minds if he told them about Shanks, Dragon and Garp though. Wouldn't you? Imagine learning that a stupid little friend of yours is the son of the leader of a worldwide resistance movement, his grandfather an army general, his two brothers really well-known criminals that are in the news every week and his uncle the leader of a mafia group (or whatever). Pretty shocking, eh?_

_Thank you for reading. Please review, except if you're gonna talk about swords (I'm kinda sick of them after writing that sword fight plus writing about them in the comment.)_

_Next up: Finally meeting Ace again! Also, cutting ships! ... Just kidding. :D_

* * *

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	24. Mister Two Bon Clay

_Before I start I should mention that there's no Ace in this chapter. I'm really sorry for that! I kinda forgot a bit about the first meeting with Bon-chan and I still had a few things I planned to write, so I had to put that here. Mr. 2 is, in my opinion, __**very**__ important so I couldn't just skip him. Again, I apologize. However, to compensate, I'll probably write the next chapter today (that is, within 5 hours from releasing this one) or you'll get two tomorrow. _

**24. Mister Two Bon Clay**

Something crashed.

"WHY YOU JERK!" someone yelled from the men's quarters. The rest of the crew was on the deck, except Sanji, who was cooking and Luffy, who was in the Men's quarters and Chopper who went to get him.

Chopper came running out of the room and he was crying. Vivi, Usopp and Nami who were on deck, noticed this. (Zoro was on watch duty.)

"What happened, Chopper?" Usopp asked the reindeer as he ran towards him and hid behind his leg. Nami and Vivi also looked at him surprised. Zoro also noticed this from the top of the ship and watched.

"L-Luffy." Chopper stuttered. "I-I went to wake him to play with us ..."

He hiccupped.

" … and then he threw *hic* that stone he's got at me and yelled." Chopper finished. "I thought Luffy was nice. *hic*"

Usopp's eyes widened in realization.

* * *

_Flashback:_

" _WOULD YOU JUST SHUT UP! … I didn't have any freakin' sleep in two days and now I have to listen to this stupid crap! … Just shut the hell up and go back to your stupid ship, Don Kling or whatever the hell your name is, jerk … „_

„ … _so who did you piss off ? … „_

„ … _I'm not in the mood for this … „_

„ … _GET LOST, JERKS! … „_

„ … _WHAT ARE YOU JERKS STILL DOING HERE?! … „_

„ … _DO YOUR JOB, JERKS! … „_

* * *

"Luffy-san did what?!" "Luffy yelled at you?" Vivi and Nami both asked at the same time.

'That's right, they weren't there.' Usopp thought. 'They don't know about it.'

Usopp took up his 'Captain Usopp' stance.

"Yosh, Captain Usopp will now tell you what's going on!" he announced. Nami face-palmed at his stance, but Vivi and Chopper looked at him expectantly. He then sat on the ground.

"Luffy probably had nightmares again and couldn't sleep, so he's in a really bad mood today." Usopp told them.

"Really? Luffy has nightmares?" Chopper asked.

"Luffy-san has nightmares?" Vivi asked in a bewildered expression. "But he is so strong? What could he have nightmares about?" Truly, it boggles the mind, how such a powerful man could be kept awake at night by bad dreams. Everyone nodded at her words.

"I'm not sure. He usually mutters in his sleep about meat … " Usopp answered and Nam face-palmed. "But often he trashes around, muttering names."

"What names?" Nami asked.

"Ace, Sabo," Usopp began. "But also our names. Also Robin and someone called Iva-chan sometimes. And a few others."

Chopper nodded and wiped his tears.

"I heard him say Jimbei a few times." he told them.

"Who are Iva-chan, Robin and Jimbei?" Nami asked in confusion. Nobody knew. Zoro on top, who listened to them also furrowed his brows, trying to remember something, but got nothing. Then everyone heard the sound of someone walking in sandals. Luffy climbed up from the Men's quarters and stomped towards the kitchen, completely ignoring his crew.

True to Usopp's words, Luffy looked like he didn't sleep at all last night. He had black bags under his eyes and an annoyed expression on his face.

He walked up to the kitchen door.

"Sanji, food!" he demanded, but not in his usual cheerful tone. Sanji opened his mouth to yell at him, but then he noticed his expression.

'Shit, not again.' he thought and flinched.

"H-Haii, Luffy." he answered in a nervous tone. He gave him a plate of snacks from the refrigerator. 'Eat that. But you'll have to wait until I'm finished cooking for more.'

Luffy nodded and walked away while eating the snacks.

Everyone on the deck, except Chopper and Usopp, had shocked expressions on their faces.

"Hey, why is everyone so shocked?" Chopper asked. Usopp looked at him.

"D-Did Sanji-kun just give Luffy a snack before lunch?" Nami asked in disbelief.

"I know, right?" Vivi confirmed. "He usually kicks him into the mast or yells at him."

Zoro sweated. 'Damn cook is almost like he's afraid of Luffy.'

Everyone turned to Usopp, as he knew the most about this.

"What's going on, Usopp-san?" Vivi finally asked.

"Yosh, Captain Usopp will now-" he started.

"Will you just answer the damn question, Usopp!" Nami interrupted with a twitch.

Usopp sighed.

"Fine." he answered. "When Luffy was in such a bad mood last, he yelled a lot the whole day, even at us. And he blew up at basically anything we said or did that irritated him. Honestly, he's scary without sleep!"

"This happened before?" Nami asked confused. Usopp nodded.

"At Baratie, the day Don Krieg came." Usopp told her. "Basically, just try not to piss him off. It'll be scary if you do."

Everyone gulped.

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

Everyone gathered in the dining room. Luffy, surprisingly, wasn't there first, however he still arrived before the ladies. Sanji however, because of Luffy's obvious foul mood, made an exception this time and let everyone in immediately.

The meal was a bit awkward, because everyone kept looking at Luffy and they weren't talking much to make sure not to upset him somehow. They even made sure not to prevent him from stealing their food. He didn't seem to care for the awkwardness and just kept eating. Then, in the middle of the meal …

"Guys, I want to talk to you about something." Luffy announced. Everyone raised their heads and looked at him.

"I have a feeling that we'll be meeting one or both of my brothers soon." Luffy continued. Everyone looked at him in surprise. "I think everyone here knows who they are, right?"

Everyone nodded. (Usopp, Vivi and Sanji told Zoro, Chopper and Nami while traveling. For some reason Zoro still hadn't told anyone who Luffy's grandpa was, but Luffy was fine with that.)

"I have something to ask you." Luffy continued. "Ace and Sabo don't know that I'm stronger than them and I'd like to keep it a secret for now."

"But why?" Usopp asked. Luffy sighed.

"I can't tell you that yet. But please promise me: even if they say I'm weak, even if they brag about their strength, don't correct them." he told them. Everyone looked at him oddly, but then they nodded.

"I don't get it, but we'll do as you say, Captain." Zoro answered for everyone. Luffy nodded.

"Good. One more thing. Don't mention haki at all. And if they join us in our travel, you'll stop your Observation haki training for that time." Luffy continued. "In fact, don't talk about haki to anyone outside this crew."

"What's the point of this, Luffy?" Nami asked. The weakling trio was actually relieved that they wouldn't have to train haki if one of the brothers came aboard, but it was still strange. Luffy sighed again.

"I can't tell you that. All I can say is that someday, you'll understand."

Knowing they wouldn't get anything else out of Luffy regarding that topic, everyone continued eating.

* * *

A few hours later …

* * *

Since the crew had very little food left (They were very near Arabasta now, but still, the food was a problem.), they were forced to resort to fishing to fill their refrigerator a little bit. Chopper, Usopp and Carue (somehow) were the ones doing it.

However, it didn't work too well(primarily because of all of them being idiots), so later Usopp and Luffy used Carue as a bait to try to catch something big, hopefully a sea king (that was what Usopp said).

Then the ship passed through some kind of strange mist, one of the many odd phenomenons of the Grand-line. Unknown to the, another ship also passed the mist, but from the opposite side. As they left the mist, they noticed a man clinging to Carue's neck. They all looked at each other an blinked a few times.

'Bon-chan!' thought Luffy. 'I've missed you!'

Clinging to the duck was a strange man with short, black hair and a lot of make-up on his face. He had blue medieval looking clothes, pink ballet shoes as well as a pink coat with two swan decorations in the shape of number 2 on his shoulders.

"Oh my!" Mr 2 shouted. "Why am I clinging to this spot-billed duck, when I've only met him?"

With that he released the duck, but since he didn't expect there to be sea underneath, he was in for quite a surprise.

"HELP ME, PLEASE! I'M A HAMMER!" He yelled as he sank. The Straw hats of course saved him.

He sat down on the deck on the ship, his clothes completely soaked and thanked them.

"Oh, I thought it was all over! No, really! Swan, swan!" Bon Blay began. "But my life was saved by pirates that I do not know! I won't forget your kindness."

He bowed to them. Then his eyes wandered to Vivi.

"Well, aren't you a cute one! You're just my type!" he told her and blew her a kiss. Vivi shook her head. 'What a strange guy.'

'How can such an outfit possibly fit a guy?' Luffy thought to himself as he looked at Bon-chan. 'And yet it does.'

"Hey, you can't swim, right? Do you have a devil fruit?" Luffy asked him aloud. He nodded.

"You're soo right! I suppose I can show you, since you saved me!" Bentham sang out and stood up, moving his body in a very feminine fashion. "There's no rush, so I might as well put on a show!"

"Prepare to witness my ability!" he yelled out, but then he struck Luffy with the palm of his hand, sending him into the nearby railing. Everyone nearly panicked, thinking he was attacking. Zoro took out his swords. Mr. 2 however shook his hands in front of his face in denial of the accusation.

"Wait, Wait, Yo!" he yelled and everyone could hear that his voice was changed. As Bentham moved his hands away, everyone stared in shock. He looked exactly like Luffy.

"STOP JOKING AROUND!" Mr. 2 yelled out in Luffy's voice. "Surprised you, surprised you, surprised you! Jahahahaha!"

"When I touch myself with my left hand … " he said and did that. "See, back to normal! That's the ability I gained with the Mane Mane no mi!"

Luffy then stood up and the hat shadowed his face. Everyone of the crew cringed, knowing what kind of mood Luffy was since morning.

"COOL!" Luffy finally beamed and everyone released a breath that they didn't know they were holding. Bentham, who was oblivious to the exchange, proceeded to touch everyone's face while they were back at gaping at his ability.

"Well, there's no real need to hit anybody though!" he announced.

"Hi! Look at me!" he said and touched his face with his right hand, changing into Usopp.

"If I touch my face … " he changed into Zoro.

"With my right hand … " he changed into Chopper.

"I can imitate anyone! Just like this!" he said and changed into Nami.

"Even the body!" he told them and unbuttoned his shirt. Usopp, Chopper and Luffy all stared at Nami's … ehm … features, but soon Nami's punch knocked Mr. 2 on the ground.

"CUT THAT OUT!" she yelled at him furiously.

A single droop of blood exited Luffy's nose. 'Damn.'

"SO COOL!" he screamed with stars in his eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry to say that I can't show you anymore of my abilities!" Bon Clay told them as he sat down again. They of course convinced him otherwise, so he showed them a few of the faces he has 'saved'. Among them a few very weird ones, but also the face of Vivi's father, which shocked and horrified the princess. The four immediately became fast friends and danced around on the deck. Then Mr. 2's ship arrived to take him back.

"Oh. My time to leave has come. How tragic!" Bentham announced. They begged him not to go, but to no avail.

"Do not be sad! Journeys and partings go hand in hand. But remember this: To true friendship how long you've known each other means nothing! Don't cry for me!" he told them. They waved him goodbye and he jumped on his ship.

"Now let's go, boys!" Bentham announced to his crew.

"HAII, MISTER TWO BON-CLAY-SAMA!" the crew answered.

"WHAAAAAAT?!"

* * *

_Damn, this chapter went slow. And what's worse, I didn't expect it to. I kinda thought that Drum and Little Garden would be annoying and to some extent they were, but once I got into the story it flowed along brilliantly. But this one was annoying from start to finish and I didn't even think it would be! Also, I had lots of stuff I had to repeat regarding Mr. 2. I didn't want to do it, but it'd feel wrong if I skipped it too. I mean, 2 is very important to the story and their first meeting is also very important, for more than one reason. Ughh. I won't really be surprised if you're disappointed with this chapter, since I am. :D_

_Anyway, Luffy woke up in a bad mood and kinda scared the shit out of everyone (once Usopp told the three members who didn't yet know about it.), but since they didn't annoy him or whatever, they kinda avoided him raging about. One other thing about this: Since Luffy was in a foul mood, why didn't he punch Bon-chan when he hit him? Well, Luffy really likes Bon-chan and he hadn't seen him in like forever and he knows all what he'll do. So, no rage on him. _

_Another thing. Luffy told his crew to pretend that he is weaker than he actually is. Want to guess why he did that? _

_Anyway, thanks for reading, even if it was an annoying chapter (at least to me). Review if you will. _

_(P.S.: Fanfiction wants me to change Review if you will into review i'm begging you! :D FU Fanfiction, I'm not that desperate! :D )_

* * *

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	25. Portgas D Ace

**25. Portgas D Ace**

Luffy jumped down from the ship, ignoring the cries of his nakama, that were telling him that he'll be recognized. There was only one thing going through his head right now.

'Ace, where are you? Sabo, are you with him?'

Luffy hoped that Ace took Sabo with him, although he seriously doubted that. From what he'd seen of Ace's 'ship' it was only big enough to carry one man comfortably (if you could call it that, considering that you most likely had to stand the whole journey). Also, from what he understood, Ace ignored the orders of his captain and went ahead to find Blackbeard by himself since he was so hotheaded. Sabo was a different kind of person though and Luffy doubted Sabo would do the same.

Luffy clenched his fist.

'Even if I have to go to both Impel Down and Marineford again, even if I have to go through hell itself, I'll still prevent your deaths.' Luffy thought. 'Maybe I'll compensate Death with Blackbeard and Akainu.'

His fist turned black. Then he realized what he was doing.

'Damn. If I unknowingly use this in front of Ace … ' Luffy thought as he relaxed his posture. 'Well, it'll be a problem.'

He continued to walk. After a few moments, he finally reached the city. The sign at the entrance read 'Nanohana'.

'Yep, this is definitely the place where I meet Ace.' he thought.

He walked through the streets and looked around, observing the different buildings. Altrough he wasn't that hungry he still wanted to find the restaurant.

"Would you like to live for a thousand years sir?" a man with a gold-painted apple asked him. His eye twitched in irritation.

"No thanks." he answered. But the man wouldn't drop it.

"Are you sure, sir? Everyone wants to live long!" the man told him.

"GET LOST!" he shouted and the man fell on his butt, intimidated. Luffy was quite proud of his intimidating aura when he was angry. It prevented annoying people from … well … annoying him. He walked past the man and ignored the stares that were following him. At that moment, another annoyance decided to appear.

A man with brown hair and beard, dressed in a blue shirt, black pants and a black cloak approached him directly. Luffy could see him unsheathing the two swords he wore on each side of his belt. The man also had several pistols on his person.

'So this passes for a bounty hunter these days?!' Luffy thought. 'And such an uncool outfit.'

The man ran towards Luffy and Luffy thought for a second there that the man would outright attack him, but he stopped just in front of him with his swords drawn.

"So you're the new rookie, eh? The man with 70.000.000 Berry on his head. Monkey D Luffy." the man spoke. Luffy stopped walking. "I see the government must have made a mistake. There's no way such a tiny guy could have such a high bounty."

Luffy's eye again twitched in irritation. 'This is the grand-line. Why do such idiots walk around here? Just by looking at my scar one could see that I'm not _just_ some 'tiny guy'.'

"Yes, I'm Luffy. What do you want?" he finally answered. He noticed that a few people gathered around.

"So that really is Mugiwara!" a few of them commented. He could hear them whispering among themselves. About him.

" … is it true he's from East Blue? … "

" … record bounty … "

He heard a few of the men around them cheering on the other guy.

"MUSHI! MUSHI! MUSHI!" they yelled.

"Crush him, Mushi!" another said.

"What do I want?" the man repeated. "Your head of course. My name is Mushi Keiran and I'm the famous bounty hunter of Arabasta!"

Luffy sweat-dropped. 'So, his name is Bug Hen's Egg?'

"Never heard of you." Luffy told him and the man deflated somewhat. "However your first name fits as weakling such as yourself."

And then he walked past him. This of course infuriated the man.

"WHY YOU LITTLE!" he yelled and ran after him. He attempted to slash Luffy, but Luffy easily dodged every one of his pathetic attempts as he walked, searching for the restaurant.

"FIGHT ME, DAMN IT!" the man yelled. Luffy stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"I have no need to fight bugs." he told him. "**Armament.**"

His right hand turned shiny black. He dodged as the man attempted to stab him with his right sword and cut him with his left and then he simply slapped the man with a haki enhanced palm. The man ended up bloodied in the wall of the nearest building.

"I slap them them away." Luffy told the jaw-dropping crowd, turned and walked away.

'I kinda understand why Mihawk was so mean to Zoro now. It's just too tempting.' Luffy thought and snickered. Then he noticed a nearby sword shop.

'Hmm, should I?' he thought to himself. Then he decided for it and walked inside the shop. There was an old-looking shop-keeper, with a short white beard, but no hair. He was dressed In a simple blue robe, which still showed his rather muscular body. He had plenty of swords for sale, some of which looked to be of rather exquisite design.

"My name is Yurush. May I help you my lad?" he asked. Luffy stepped to the counter and nodded.

"Yes, old man." Luffy told him and put the his sword on the counter. "My friend gave me this sword and I want to know how much it's worth. I'm not looking to sell it, I'm just interested."

The man took his sword in his hands and first looked at the design of the hilt and the sheath. Then he unsheathed the sword and looked at the blade. After this he put it back in the sheath.

"This is Ashita no Kanashimi (Tomorrow's sorrow) of the Skillful grade of Named swords or the Meito." Yurush told him. "However it's also referred to as the Sword of the Non-Swordsman."

Luffy quirked an eyebrow.

"This is because the one who made this sword was a bit of an odd fellow, you see. Or so they say. " the man continued. " Some think it's a curse."

"Why?" Luffy asked. "What is the problem with it?"

The man sighed.

"It's … not a sword meant for a swordsman or how should I put it. When a true swordsman wields it, it's said that it will annoy and possibly endanger the wielder. Strikes will miss, the sword will slip when in a deadlock with the opponent and such." the man told him. "However, should a non-swordsman, a man of lesser discipline use it, it's said to protect him and they say that whatever cuts he may inflict on himself while training will never threaten his life."

The man studied him for a while and then gave him his sword back.

"Did you have any trouble with it?" he asked. Luffy shook his head.

"Then again, I'm not what I'd call a real swordsman." he told the man. He smiled.

"It's better that way then. This blade would only harm a swordsman."

"So, how much is it worth?" Luffy asked him. The man gained a thoughtful expression.

"On craftsmanship alone I'd say about 10.000.000 Berry. However, no swordsman would pay a single Berry for it if they knew about it's, shall we say curse." Yurush explained. "But in the underground they say that people who are searching for it would be willing to pay much more than it's worth, maybe even four times more."

Luffy nodded. Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a few Berry notes and put them on the counter.

"Lad, I didn't give you anything. You don't have to pay!" the man told him, somewhat shocked. Luffy smiled.

"For your time." Luffy told him and walked out of the shop, leaving a very shocked and grateful shop owner behind.

'So that's why Shanks gave me this sword.' Luffy thought and pushed the sheathed sword back into its place. Then he heard a very familiar voice.

" … Even in this place, your vigilance against pirates is still as high as ever, Smoker-san!" a voice told.

"Che." Another voice said. "These are wannabee pirates, not real ones, Tashigi."

Luffy tried to walk away, but it was too late as the owner of the second voice spotted him.

"Mugiwara!" Smoker shouted. He walked towards Luffy, who stopped in his tracks.

"Why are you here, Mugiwara?" the captain asked him. Luffy sighed.

"To beat the crap out of Crocodile." Luffy told him. He knew telling Smoker would not ruin anything, as the man would be in his way anyway, but Smoker might also decide to help him in some way, since he was one of the more decent marines Luffy knew.

"Crocodile?" Smoker asked with wide-eyes. Luffy sighed and nodded. "Why?"

"Crocodile is the reason this war in Arabasta is happening, Smokey. " Luffy told him. "Now can I go, Smokey?"

Smoker unsheathed his jutte. 'Didn't think so anyway.'

Smoker jumped towards him and activated his devil fruit power. Smoke approached Luffy from all directions again. Luffy however noticed that this time, the smoke seemed faster. He jumped up to avoid it, but above him smoke was already forming. Legs formed out of the smoke about him and attempted to kick him, but Luffy blocked the kicks with his arm.

Then smoke surrounded him again. Luffy used his Gomu gomu no Muchi to whip the smoke away. Then a jutte approached from behind. Luffy unsheathed his sword and parried it and then landed on the ground.

Smoke was already all around him again, but this time Luffy jumped forward, using his haki to punch the smoke away in front of him. However, smoke followed him again and surrounded him.

Luffy tried to find, where Smoker's actual body was, but it was hard until he made an actual move. Smoker then tried to attack with his jutte from behind, while at the same time forming legs in the front, to kick him. Luffy activated his armament and resisted the kick, while blocking the Jutte with his sword.

"You've improved, Smokey. But it's still not enough." Luffy told Smoker and punched the smoke underneath the jutte, sending the man flying into a building, unconscious.

Then Tashigi yelled and tried to attack him. He sidestepped the swing and punched the hilt of her sword, sending it from her hands.

"Your captain will be fine. I don't kill good men." he told her and walked away and then she ran to her commander.

Luffy then used 'Soru' to get away from the scene fast. When he stopped, it was right in front of the restaurant.

'What luck.' Luffy thought. But then he was confused, as there were a lot of people in front of it, many more than usual. 'What's going on?'

He walked to the crowd and asked a nearby man.

"Well, a man seems to have died while eating." the man answered. "He probably ate a desert berry."

Luffy thanked the man and pushed himself past the crowd. Finally he arrived in the front. He smiled. On the chair in front of him with his back turned sat none other than Portgas D Ace, with his Whitebeard pirates tattoo and his face in his food.

He walked up to the man, ignoring the irritating protests of the onlookers (they said that approaching a man who died because of a desert berry was dangerous) and to the shock of everyone punched him on the head.

"Why are you punching a dead guy?" someone yelled in outrage. Luffy gained a twitch above his eyebrow. Then to everyone's horror the 'dead guy' lifted his head and turned around.

"HE WOKE UP?!" everyone yelled at once. Luffy gained another twitch. Ace glared at him for a moment, but then his expression eased somewhat as he realized who he was.

"Lu?" Ace asked.

"Ace, stop falling asleep in your food!" Luffy told him in an irritated voice.

"HE FELL ASLEEP?!" everyone yelled again. That was the last straw.

"GET LOST, ANNOYING JERKS!" Luffy yelled. They fell on their butts and scrambled out of the restaurant. Ace blinked a few times.

'Is that really Luffy?!' he asked himself. Then said man walked up to the counter and sat down. He poked the man in charge a few times.

"FOOD! GIVE ME FOOD NOW! DO YOUR JOB!" he yelled at him. The man bowed and complied. Ace sweat-dropped.

"Lu, is that really you?" Ace asked. Luffy's eye twitched.

"Of course I am. Who do I look like?" he asked him.

"Luffy's evil twin?" Ace said in a deadpanned expression. Luffy sighed.

"Well that happens when I don't get any sleep." He told Ace.

Then they ate. Afterwards, they headed to the ship, but were stopped by Baroque works agents in an alley.

"Well, aren't we lucky." An agent commented. "We get both Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Luffy in the same day!"

"WOULD YOU JUST GET LOST, STUPID WEAKLINGS!" Luffy shouted at them. This of course angered them and they attacked them furiously.

"Luffy, you really need to work on anger management." Ace told him as he avoided a slash. Luffy wasn't in the mood to screw around however.

Luffy unsheathed his sword.

"**Enkei no Akainami** (Circular Red Wave)!" Luffy yelled and slashed around himself, completing a circle. (I'm not sure how well I explained this. ) He used no haki, so the attack passed through Ace's logia body, but it cut up everyone else, as well as cutting most of the closest buildings.

Ace's jaw was on the ground while buildings fell apart around them. Luffy just nonchalantly sheathed his sword and continued walking.

"YOU CUT ME TOO!" Ace yelled angrily. Luffy looked at him oddly.

"You're a logia! Why do you care?" he asked him. Ace sighed.

"Anyway. Since when can you use a sword?" Ace asked him. Luffy shrugged.

"Shanks told me about flying blade attacks and then I trained myself to be able to do them." Luffy told him. "He also gave me this Meito."

Luffy lifted his sheathed sword.

"Luffy," Ace began. "Shanks was in the New World the whole time. He couldn't have given it to you. Also, flying blade attacks are very high level techniques. How did you manage to learn them in East Blue of all places?"

"Ace, Shanks gave me the sword when I was five, but told Makino to guard it until I was at least fourteen." Luffy said. It was half a lie of course. Luffy gave the katana to her voluntarily and Shanks never said anything like that, but the rest was true.

"Also, I'm not an idiot. When Shanks told me how to do it, I knew how and in three years I mastered it." Luffy continued. Again a lie. Luffy trained under Shanks for a month, which while it didn't make him master the technique, it at least gave him an idea on how to master it.

Ace nodded.

"Listen Luffy, would you join the Whitebeard pirates? Your nakama too, of course." Ace then asked. "Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I know. I want to make him the pirate king."

Luffy looked at him.

"No. That's unless he puts me in charge." Luffy replied. Ace laughed.

"Come on, Luffy, at least think about it!" he asked again.

"No, Ace." Luffy answered with a tone of finality. "My dream is what I am and my dream is to be the pirate king. Always has been. Since I was seven. "

Ace sighed.

"But I would like to talk to him. To thank him for taking you in." Luffy continued.

Ace looked at him oddly.

"You've found your place, Ace. I need to thank him for that." Luffy told him.

"If you promise you won't be a jerk, I'll give you the Den Den Mushi number." Ace said after a moment of silence.

"So, basically, you don't want me to call him today?" Luffy asked.

"Exactly." Ace answered.

"By the way, where's Sabo?" Luffy asked. Ace looked at him.

"I'm alone." He answered.

'Damn.'

* * *

_Yay! This chapter is done. Record time too, I think._

_Now first thing. Mushi Keiran and Yurush are completely made up. You won't find them anywhere in One piece. The first is basically some weakling idiot, who foolishly challenged Luffy while being severely outclassed. The second is a made up blacksmith and a swordsman. _

_Why did I put such a curse on Ashita no Kamashimi? Well, two reasons. First to make it special and second to explain why Luffy still had his fingers._

_Another fight with Smoker. Did you like it? It's longer than the first and Luffy doesn't immediately stomp Smoker, both out of a certain respect and to test him. They will meet again though._

_How did you like Luffy-Ace interaction? I'm really anxious to hear opinions._

_Luffy gets irritated again and starts yelling at everyone again because of that. But don't worry. When he gets to the ship, he'll calm down a bit._

_What do you think about __**Enkei no Akainami **__(Circular Red Wave)? Do you like it? And more importantly, do you understand how it's done? If not, I can try to think of a better explanation tomorrow (I don't have one on my mind right now)._

_And finally. Whitebeard. Luffy will talk to him via a Den Den Mushi soon. I bet you didn't expect that, huh?!_


	26. Ace meets crew

_Alright, guys. Before you begin reading the story, I just wanted to say thanks for all your views, reviews, favorites and follows. When I began writing this, I never, in my wildest imagination, expected to get such a great response. It may have been my bad experiences with other projects however (that have usually failed). _

_Today, we've passed both the mark of 20.000 views and right now, at this moment of writing, this story has 21.216 views. Wow. As well as 134, most of which were really kind, helpful or both. A few (very few) were kinda asshole-ish and I'm sure you remember what they talked about, but let's not go there right now. Then we have 99 people, who favorited this, as well as 135 who follow the story. The story got all that in just eleven days, which is simply amazing. Not only that - yesterday was a record day in the number of views._

_So once again, thank you for all your support. Here's some more Ace for you. Enjoy._

**26. Ace meets crew**

"So why didn't you get any sleep, Luffy?" Ace asked as they searched for the Going Merry. "Don't tell me you're having nightmares again?"

Luffy nodded. "It got better when I was with you for a while. I got them less and less often. But after you left, they started again." He told him. Ace sighed.

"It's weird to see you all pissed off at everything again." Ace said. "You're so different when you can't sleep because of them. You're really like an evil twin of Luffy."

"Well, I met a lot of annoying people today too." Luffy replied with a shrug. "I can't exactly stay calm while both feeling like crap and having to listen to stupid crap all day."

"I guess you're right." His brother replied. "But still, I haven't heard you yell at someone like that in like forever. It's been very long."

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Luffy, Ace and Sabo walked around the gray terminal, trying to find something fun to do, when a few thugs surrounded them._

_"Hehehe, you're those troublemakers, Aren't you?" one of them said. "Bluejam told me to take care of you!"_

_Ace and Sabo prepared to fight, but Luffy just stood there. His eyes darkened._

_"WOULD YOU GET LOST, STUPID JERKS!?" he suddenly exploded and attacked them. Surprisingly, his powers worked perfectly that day and he beat them all up._

* * *

Ace sighed.

"Honestly, when are you going to tell me what happened to you? It's not normal for a man to have nightmares about his friends dying all the time." Ace started. Luffy shook his head.

"I can't tell you, Ace."

Ace sighed and nodded in defeat, but then his eyes darkened.

"Did gramps do something to you?!" Ace almost yelled, but Luffy quickly shook his head.

"Grandpa has nothing to do with it." He answered.

"Your dad?" Ace asked again. Same response.

"I've only met my dad for the first time after I set sail, Ace." Luffy answered. Ace nodded, but then his eyes widened in surprise.

"Wait, you know who your dad is now?" he asked Luffy. He nodded. "So how was the meeting?"

Luffy sighed.

"I called him Mr. Sperm Donor." He answered after a moment of silence**.** Ace blinked a few times. Then he started laughing.

"I'm sorry!" Ace said as he laughed. "It's just … too priceless … hahahaha! You calling the Revolutionary Dragon … hahaha Mr. Sperm Donor!"

"I guess it is! Shishishi!" Luffy agreed. Then he noticed Ace's tattoo on his arm. He pointed at it.

"I see you really like your name, big brother." Luffy commented. Ace shrugged.

"Oh, I also got a tattoo!" Luffy announced and pulled up his sleeve on his right hand and showed the tattoo on his shoulder.

"ASL?" Ace asked as he saw the tattoo. "Ace, Sabo and Luffy?"

Luffy nodded.

"That's really cool! Why didn't I think of that?" Ace asked. Luffy shrugged.

"Probably because you're ego-glistical and only think about yourself!" Luffy told him.

"It's egoistical Luffy! HEY, I'M NOT EGOISTICAL!" Ace shouted.

"Yes, you are!" Luffy told him. Ace pouted.

"By, the way, how do you like my devil fruit? The Mera Mera no Mi?" Ace asked after a moment of silence.

"It's cool. Not as cool as mine, but it's nice!" Luffy answered. Ace laughed.

"I think I detect jealousy!" Ace chirped out. Luffy shook his hand.

"I wouldn't trade my Gomu Gomu no Mi for anything, Ace!" Luffy told him. And he meant it. Normal blunt blows to his body didn't hurt at all, unless they were very powerful. He could slingshot himself long distances if he wanted, he had the two gears as well as powerful haki enhanced techniques combined with the gears, such as Red Hawk or Elephanto Gun. The devil fruit also allowed him to heal really fast. Also, he's used it for practically two lifetimes already, so he was really used to the devil fruit and it's unique stretching fighting style.

"And why is that, Luffy?" Ace asked. "From what I've seen of your devil fruit it isn't that great!"

Luffy had to stop himself from laughing. 'Typical Ace. Always talking bad about my devil fruit.'

"Well, Ace, I can enlarge my-" Luffy started.

"LU!" Ace interrupted with a red face. "STOP SAYING STUFF LIKE THAT!"

"I was going to say fists, Ace." Luffy replied in a deadpanned expression. Ace sighed.

But then Luffy snickered.

"Of course, I can also enlarge my-" Luffy tried to say.

"DAMN IT, LUFFY!" Ace interrupted again.

"Feet, Ace, feet!" Luffy finished while nearly laughing. Ace sighed in relief.

"But that too, if you must know." Luffy quickly added and watched Ace's face redden a bit more, but to his (Ace's) relief, they reached the ship. As they did, they saw Carue speeding past them into the desert. Luffy didn't remember why Carue did that, but he assumed it was fine.

"OI, GUYS!" Luffy yelled and waved. They boarded the ship and when they did that, they set sail. Luffy immediately noticed everyone was dressed differently.

"So, who is this, Luffy-san?" Vivi asked. Luffy looked at her outfit with a quirked eyebrow.

'When did we hire erotic dancers?!' he asked himself. Vivi wore a dancer girl outfit.

"Why are you wearing that, Vivi?" Luffy asked earnestly. He did not remember from the first time.

"Sanji-kun got us this." Nami told him with a twitch above her eye, who was also wearing similar clothes. "Even though we specifically told him to get us citizens outfits!"

"But, Nami-swaaan! Dancers are citizens too!" Sanji pleaded.

"Whatever." Nami huffed. "Anyway, who's this?"

"That's my older brother, Ace!" Luffy told them and pointed at him.

"Luffy, it's rude to point." Ace told him.

"Whatever."

"P-P-Portgas D Ace?!" Usopp stuttered. Ace nodded.

"Y-You have a bounty of 550.000.000 Berry?" Nami asked. Ace nodded again.

"Don't get any ideas, Nami." Luffy told her. She looked at him oddly.

"Anyway, Ace is really strong. Like I said, he's the 2nd division commander of the Whitebeard pirates." Luffy told them again.

"Luffy, would you-" Ace began.

"No, Ace." Luffy interrupted. "I won't join you."

Ace sighed.

"Hey, guys. I'd like to thank you for taking care of my brother. I know he can be a handful sometimes!" he told the crew.

They bowed their heads.

"Yes, he has!" they told him in unison (except Vivi).

"THAT'S RUDE, JERKS!" Luffy yelled and they cringed and moved away from him a bit. Ace chuckled.

"Anyway, I'm on the hunt for a man named Blackbeard. He's done what no crew member should and killed one of our nakama, so I'm going to finish him off." Ace told them. "So what are _you_ here for?"

Luffy raised his hand in the air.

"I'm going to beat the crap out of Crocodile!" he announced. Ace had wide-eyes.

"You _do_ know Crocodile is a Logia?!" he asked him. "And he's a Shichibukai!"

"Don't care! I'll use water! " Luffy announced. Ace sweat-dropped.

"What the hell? What help will that be?" he asked him. Luffy looked at him oddly.

"Well, Crocodile has a sand logia, so he won't be able to fight if I make him wet, right?" he told Ace. He gained a thoughtful expression.

"Well, that might actually work!" Ace replied. "Anyway, got to go. And I'll take care of those guys for you!"

Ace pointed at ships, with the Baroque works symbol, that were approaching them. Then Ace put his hand into his pocket and pulled out a single, blank piece of paper. He threw it at Luffy, who caught it.

"Save this piece of paper, Luffy. It'll allow us to meet again someday." He told him. Luffy looked at the piece of paper. 'Ace's vivre card.'

Then the big brother jumped down into his little, tiny boat thing. He activated his devil fruit and sailed straight towards the approaching three ships. As he approached, they fired at him, missing completely with cannons, but hitting a few times with guns, which of course did nothing. Then, as he was nearly, at the ship, Ace pushed the little boat into the sea and used his great strength to jump across the ship. He landed back on the little boat and activated his devil fruit powers.

"HIKEN (fire fist)!" Ace shouted and punched through the enemy ship with his … well, fire-fist. He crushed the ships as if they were made of paper.

'Show off.' Luffy thought and smiled.

Luffy clapped and then waved Ace goodbye, as he disappeared, waving as well. Luffy's crew members were gaping at the display of raw power that Ace had just done.

"L-Luffy, are you sure you're stronger than your brother?!" Usopp stuttered. Luffy smiled.

"I can do that too, Usopp. Except without the special effects!"

* * *

_So, I hope you liked this chapter. More Ace for Ace fans, which is from my experience pretty much everyone, eh?_

_As you can see, I've addressed those nightmares a bit. When Luffy met Ace and Sabo he had nightmares occasionally, but as they were safe and close to him, the nightmares got less frequent. They saw him snap a few times, but as they got older, it stopped happening, so that why the evil twin comment._

_One other thing. Ace isn't shy or anything like that, but he does get embarrassed (unlike Luffy, who is almost completely shameless). So yeah, his face gets red, when Luffy talks stuff like that (or Ace thinks he does), because he's his little brother and it's well kinda awkward._

_And for the future: I'll probably skip Erumaru, Yuba and most of Rainbase, because I reaaally don't want to do them and there's nothing that important that couldn't be covered in either short flashbacks or recaps. So next time, you can probably expect them in a cage. But not Nicholas Cage, cause that'd be weird. And gay._

_Thank you for reading and please be so kind to review. But don't talk about swords in it if you will (sorry, couldn't resist)._

* * *

If you like my story and want to make me happy, then click this link (hopefully in massively overwhelming numbers :D ): adf(replace this with dot)ly/6qkpw


	27. Royal Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile

**27. Royal Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile**

"Ahaahaahaahaa! You're all going to be dying together! How sweet!" Crocodile announced, looking at his accomplishment proudly. After crossing both the dried out Erumalu, the once green city as well as Yuba, which was ravaged by sandstorm, the crew came to Rainbase, where Crocodile owned a casino. And now, there they were, trapped in a nice, seastone cage.

"SMOKEY, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Luffy yelled angrily and proceeded to punch captain Smoker into the iron wall of their little cage. Said marine then picked himself up.

"How is it my fault, Mugiwara! Nobody told you to run from me!" Smoker replied in an irritated voice. Luffy sighed.

"You're annoying. You keep chasing me, even though I didn't do anything to you!" Luffy told him. "I didn't want to fight you again! Didn't feel like it!"

Crocodile continued laughing. Smoker simply sat up on the little bench in the cell. Luffy joined him.

"Hey, Crocodile, when you stop laughing, could you give me some of that food there?" he asked him. Nami's eyes twitched. "I'm kinda hungry."

"It's not like he'd give it to you, Luffy!" Usopp told him.

"He's right!" Crocodile announced. "This food is for the quest of honor!"

"And who would that be?" Nami asked.

"Nefertari Vivi, princess of Arabasta. I've sent my partner to fetch her already." Crocodile told her. The crew's eyes widened upon hearing this. Luffy's lip twitched.

"But Vivi won't eat! You're pretty dumb, Crocodile! " he told him. Crocodile's eyes twitched in annoyance. A few of the Straw hats snickered.

"I don't want to hear that from you, Mugiwara!" he answered in an irritated voice. "I'm not the one who got caught!"

"Also, I hear you got your butt kicked by old man Whitebeard once!" Luffy told him in a childish tone. Crocodile's eyes darkened.

"Do you want me to kill you _right now_, Mugiwara?!" Crocodile nearly yelled and a few of Luffy's jail members cringed. Luffy snickered.

"So it's true then, Crocy?" Luffy asked him. Crocodile gritted his teeth. "But there's no need to be so angry. Giant ossan is pretty tough!"

'Giant ossan?!' everyone, including Crocodile thought. He stared angrily at the cage.

"Ah, that reminds me! Ace gave me Whitebeard's number! I'm going to say hi to him once we're done here!" Luffy told everyone.

"WHAAAT?!"

"Would you like me to say hi to Shirohige-ossan in your name, Crocodile?" Luffy asked. Crocodile completely lost his composure and stared dumbly at Luffy.

"How could a pest like you possibly have Whitebeard's number?!" he asked him. Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"Well," Luffy began with furrowed brows. "Giant ossan calls his crew his sons, right? So that makes my brother his son and I guess that makes me his son too, right?"

"Makes sense, I guess!" Usopp replied.

"Why are you even-" Nami began in an irritated tone.

"OH MY GOD!" Luffy interrupted with his sudden realization. "I HAVE LIKE TWO THOUSAND BROTHERS!"

Crocodile sighed and turned away in irritation. 'He's going to be dead soon anyway!'

"Mugiwara!" Smoker called. Luffy turned to him.

"You have the Den Den Mushi number of Edward Newgate? We're supposed to believe that?!" he asked. Luffy shrugged.

"Don't care what you believe, Smokey." He told him and Smoker gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"CALL ME SMOKER!" he yelled at him.

"NO! NEVER! I'D RATHER DIE!" Luffy yelled back. Everyone just stared at him dumbly.

"Che. Whatever." Smoker sighed and leaned back.

"And now I'm bored." Luffy announced. Crocodile sighed too.

'Does he have like a degree in annoying people?' he thought.

"I know!" Luffy announced. "I'll do impressions!"

Everyone groaned in annoyance, except Usopp, who was kinda excited and Zoro, who was sleeping (somehow).

"First, I'll do a Whitebeard impression!" Luffy announced. Usopp's eyes lit up in awe and the rest actually looked at him, somewhat surprised.

Luffy stood up now and took his sword out and lifted it high in the air with one hand. With his other hand he put one finger above his mouth, representing Whitebeard's moustache.

"GURARARA! You think a little brat like you could beat me, eh Crocodile-man?" Luffy impersonated. Smoker's eyes widened.

'That was actually spot on.' He thought. Everyone in the marines who ever fought against Whitebeard's crew knew how Whitebeard laughed and more importantly, how he addressed almost everyone younger than him as a brat.

"CUT THAT OUT!" Crocodile yelled, startling everyone.

"Now!" Luffy yelled, completely ignoring a fuming Crocodile. "Red-Haired Shanks impression!"

'Red-Haired Shanks!?' everyone thought.

Luffy pretended to fall on the ground.

"Oh, man, I have such a hangover! Ouch! Ben, give me something for the hangover!" he said in a pretend pained voice and he massaged his temple.

A few of them actually snickered. Crocodile nearly bit his cigarette in half in irritation at his antics.

"Next! Big-" Luffy tried to say.

"Arara, I see you're having fun, Boss!" a flowery voice interrupted. Nico Robin stepped into the room and giggled silently to herself. Crocodile glared at her. 'Damn woman.'

"CROCODILE!" a familiar voice yelled. Vivi ran into the room and tried to attack him with her weapons, but it was completely useless. Crocodile didn't even bother to dodge as his logia defence allowed him to completely disregard the attack. He forcefully seated the princess.

"It's time for the party, eh Miss AllSunday?" he asked.

"Eh!" Robin replied. "Operation Utopia is starting."

"Operation Utopia?" Nami asked. Crocodile turned his back to them and laughed.

"Hey, stop that!" Luffy yelled. Crocodile continued laughing.

"Stop, or I'll do another impression!" Luffy yelled. Crocodile's eyes widened and he quickly quieted down. Vivi stared in disbelief at how easily Luffy got Crocodile to stop. Robin giggled, but then looked at Luffy. He felt her eyes studying him.

'He doesn't seem concerned. He behaves like he's the one in control.' She thought. 'What exactly is going on here?'

"What are you planning to do here in Arabasta?" Vivi asked in outrage. Crocodile grinned.

"Shall I tell you what type of person I despise the most ?" Crocodile asked. "It's those that place the happiness of their people above their own lives! Hypocrites!"

"You plan to kill my father? You'll never accomplish something like that!" Vivi yelled.

'Of course he could.' Luffy thought. 'She's still way too naïve. Even after … '

* * *

_Flashback:_

_"I quit." Luffy declared and sat down in the sand._

_._

_._

_._

_"All you want to do is to make sure nobody gets hurt. Aren't you just fooling yourself?"_

_"What's wrong with that? What's wrong with not wanting for anyone to die?"_

_"Nothing at all. It's just that … people die."_

_Luffy learned that fact the hard way. Many times._

* * *

Crocodile the proceeded to them their whole plan, laughing while doing it.

"So, you see … the love for this country will destroy his country." He concluded and laughed some more. Vivi and the rest were horrified.

Miss AllSunday glanced at Luffy's face again.

'His expression hasn't changed.' She thought. 'What is this?!'

"And do you know why I want this kingdom so badly?" Crocodile asked her.

"How could I understand what goes on in your rotten head?" she asked bitterly. She threw herself on the floor along with the chair she was bound on and struggled to drag herself on the floor. It was painful to watch.

'It's like Kizaru once said.' Luffy thought as looked at her sadly. 'If you're not powerful enough or have help, you can't save anything. Not with determination alone. If she hadn't met us … she'd have no hope at all. Thankfully, we're not defeated here.'

Smoker looked at his thoughtful expression with confusion.

'He should be screaming, yet he looks almost like he's expecting something to happen.'

Crocodile turned to leave and Vivi dragged herself behind him.

"Oh!" Crocodile said as he turned around. "You want to tag along, Miss Wednesday?"

She looked at him.

"We're on our way to Alubarna as well!" he told her. "Now, will you save a million people or will you save _them_?"

He pulled out a key, but then dropped it intentionally into the hole in the floor, underneath which the Bananawi swam. One of them swallowed the key. Most of the Straw hats panicked, even Zoro who had by now woken up. Yet, when Robin's eyes wandered to Luffy, they widened in considerably.

'His expression still hasn't changed.' She thought. 'He should be panicking, he should be screaming. Why is he looking like this is a part of some sort of plan?'

She glanced at Crocodile. He was still gloating at a desperate and enraged Vivi. He hasn't noticed. She was always better at reading people than anyone (given her hard past), but Crocodile should have noticed too. And yet, he laughed away. Then he told them how he was responsible for the condition of the Oasis of Yuba. She looked at Luffy again. He had his fist clenched and looked angry, but otherwise nothing had changed.

Then they turned to leave.

"Crocodile, your plan will fail." Luffy told them simply in a matter-of-fact voice. "You won't get this country and you won't get the stupid weapon."

They turned around. They both stared at him with wide-eyes. 'How does he know about the ancient weapon?'

"As for you," he spoke and looked straight at Robin, who flinched slightly at his gaze. "Don't be a bad girl."

'What is this?' she thought as she regained her composure. 'How can he be so confident? He speaks like _we_ are the ones in the cage.'

Then the Den Den Mushi rang. This helped her avoid any questions Crocodile may have had about his statement.

"Who is this?" she asked.

"Is this getting through?" a voice asked.

"Yes, we can hear you." She told him.

"Just spit it out!" Crocodile yelled impatiently.

"Oh, now! I know I've heard this voice before!" the voice said. "Ahem. Welcome to the shitty restaurant."

Crocodile's eyes darkened.

"Shitty restaurant, you say?" he asked.

"Eh, it sounds like you remembered!" the voice replied. "I'm quite frankly, flattered!"

Crocodile seemed to remember something as he was quiet for a few seconds.

"Bastard, who are you?" he finally asked.

"Me? I'm Mr. Prince!" the voice announced.

"I see, Mr. Prince. Where are you?" he asked it.

"Now I can't tell you that. If I did, you'd come to kill me. But it remains to be seen if you _can_ kill me. I'm not foolish enough to slip information out so carelessly as you, Mr. 0."

Crocodile was almost shaking in quiet rage.

Then a gunshot and a scream were heard. A man told them that he had caught Mr. Prince. Crocodile asked where he was and after getting the information, they turned to leave, believing everything was well.

After Luffy was sure that they were far enough away, he turned towards Vivi.

"Go get Sanji, Vivi." He told her simply. Water started leaking in at that point, but Luffy just stood there. "Don't bother with the stupid bananas-"

"It's Bananawi, Luffy." Usopp interjected.

"Whatever." Luffy told them. "Just go and find Sanji and when we're free we're going to stop a rebellion."

"But Luffy-san, it sounded like-" Vivi started.

"Have more faith in your nakama, Vivi." Luffy interrupted her. She nodded and smiled for the first time in a long while.

"Now go!" he said.

* * *

When Crocodile and Robin returned to the room a few minutes later, they couldn't believe their eyes. In the middle of the room was a floating Mr. 3 with two messages pasted to his back.

_See ya later,_

_Shitty Croc._

_Mr. Prince_

… and …

_You suck at this._

_Monkey D Luffy_

_(future pirate king)_

Crocodile fumed in rage as he dropped the real key to the cage. Robin was in shock. 'I was right.'

* * *

Outside …

"Why did you save me? Roronoa Zoro!" Smoker asked.

"Because my captain told me to." Zoro answered.

"Like I said to your swordsman, Smokey," Luffy said from behind him. "I don't kill good men."

Smoker turned around.

"That's nice … coming from a pirate." Smoker said.

Luffy shrugged.

"Whatever." He answered, but then handed Smoker a piece of paper.

"What's this?" Smoker asked.

"We have a common enemy here, Smokey. If you're a man of justice, like you say you are, you'll do as it says." Luffy told him. He turned around and they left, leaving a very confused marine behind. He looked at the message.

_Smokey,_

_There is a bomb in the capital city of Alubarna. It's in the clockwork tower. There will be two Baroque works agents in there. The bomb is supposed to be shot out of a cannon, but has a timer as well. If it explodes, the city will be gone along with a million people. You work on that. We are going to stop the war and beat up Crocodile._

_I know you're a marine, but we have a common goal here. As a favor for saving you, please don't attack me and my crew while in Arabasta. We're only here for Vivi._

_Luffy_

_P.S.: We'll meet again._

Smoker gritted his teeth in frustration. 'What kind of a pirate is this?! Now I almost feel bad for chasing him. Damn you, Mugiwara!'

* * *

_Yes, Sir Crocodile. Finally. And with this, I've officially covered more than any time-travel fic (that I read at least) of One Piece has. No fic that I know has actually reached Croco-boy. None. So even if I stopped right here (which I won't) I'd still have the longest going time-travel fic. *proceeds to gloat*_

_So, as you could see, Luffy used every possible opportunity to annoy Crococodile. He broke Crocodile's 'Ahaahaahaahaa Worthless Thrash!' gloating behaviour pretty quickly there. Hope you liked that. _

_Also note, how Robin notices several times that Luffy isn't particularly worried. :D She's always been the best in observation skills I think._

_Another thing. Luffy will call Whitebeard after he defeats Crocodile. Not sure when exactly, but soon enough. _

_Also, had to give Sanji and Smoker some time to shine! Even if I did have to repeat Sanji-Croco conversation, but at least twas short._

_Also, how does Luffy know about the bomb? Crocodile told him in the catacombs actually, when they fought in the first lifetime. At least I think he did. If I'm wrong, well then __pretend__ he did._

_I'm hoping you like this chapter and I also hope I didn't forget about anything important to mention (as I often do, unfortunately). _

_Good day (or night, as it's for me) and please don't go hating swords for no reason or something like that. :D_

_P.S.: And now I can hear drunken singing. Stupid shitheads._

* * *

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	28. The Desert Logia

**28. The Desert Logia**

The group ran away on a sideways moving giant desert crab. They headed towards Alubarna, however, Crocodile followed them and used his Sand logia powers to try and grab Vivi, however Luffy grabbed her and threw her back on the crab and so Crocodile grabbed him instead.

He landed awkwardly in a position where his head was almost where his crotch was.

"Heh, It seems as if the princess ran away from us." Robin commented.

"Meh, whatever. The agents in Alubarna should be done with their work anyway. Contact them at once." Crocodile told her. "I think your games have gone on for long enough, Straw Hat Luffy."

Luffy picked himself up and stood up.

"Oh, no, Crocodile!" Luffy replied with a smile. "My games have only just began."

"You shouldn't have made me angry, Straw Hat." Crocodile told him. Luffy laughed.

"Angry? I made _you_ angry, Crocy? Trust me, _I_ am way past angry. After all you've done to Vivi's country." Luffy replied in the same deceptively cheerful expression. "And she, as naïve as she is, wants to save every single life. And that's why she is always in pain. She thinks she can stop this rebellion without anyone dying."

"Without anyone dying? There are many stupid, mushy pacifists like that. Those who don't know the truth of battle. Do you agree with me?" Crocodile asked.

"Yes." Luffy replied simply. Then Crocodile laughed.

"But fools like you are also beyond help. You shall be the perfect example. Those who become intimate with others will die because of it. I've left hundreds like that behind me."

"Then, I guess that makes you pretty stupid." Luffy replied. Crocodile finally snapped and bit his cigar in half. Robin giggled.

"Maybe I should kill you too, Nico Robin." Crocodile told her. She giggled again.

"If that's how you feel, then do it." She suggested without fear, since she knew he couldn't afford to do that. She started walking away. "And whatever happened to your promise to not call me by that name?"

"It's a nice name." Luffy interjected. "Even if it does carry a bounty."

She turned around.

"Why thank you." She told him. Then she turned to Crocodile. "I'll be heading to Alubarna."

"Insufferable woman." Crocodile muttered.

She glanced back at Luffy.

'He's facing Sir Crocodile of the Shichibukai and he doesn't seem afraid. He seems confident even.' She thought. 'Is he just an overconfident fool? Then again, his bounty is 70.000.000 Berry … Regardless, I'll be observing from the distance.'

She left them alone and Crocodile and Luffy prepared to face each other.

"You know, now that we're alone, you can watch a few of my other impressions." Luffy told him. Crocodile's eye twitched, but he refused to lose his composure. He pulled something out of his coat and threw it in front of Luffy. It was an hourglass.

"I'll give you three minutes. Then I have things to do." Crocodile told him in his usual cold tone. Luffy smirked.

"You're being awfully confident, Crocy." He replied. Luffy then hid most of his left hand in his desert outfit, showing only his index finger in such a way that it represented Crocodile's hook.

"Ahaahaahaahaa!" he imitated as Crocodile's eyes darkened in rage. "Worthless trash! Worthless tra-"

"**DESERT SPADA(Desert sword)**!" Crocodile yelled, interrupting Luffy. A wave of sand approached Luffy, creating a giant line in the desert. Luffy sidestepped the incoming attack and whistled.

"Good eye. If you hadn't dodged that, you'd be saying more than just ow." Crocodile commented. Luffy laughed.

"Yes, I'd be saying Ow ow ow It Hurts!" he replied. Crocodile's eyes darkened again. He tried to slash Luffy with his hook, but Luffy dodged it by pulling his body a little back. Then Luffy tried to punch Crocodile, but he turned into sand and pulled that part of his body away. Crocodile reformed behind Luffy.

"No-one can fight me here, in the desert, Straw Hat. You'd better give up on your life." He told him. He tried to slash Luffy with his hook, but when he dodged, he grabbed his neck with his right hand.

"**Armament!**" Luffy murmured and delivered a strong punch in Crocodile's gut, preventing him from drying him up. It sent his foe flying a short distance away.

Crocodile stopped. He looked at Luffy with wide eyes.

'A haki user in Paradise?' he thought. 'I'd better not take this easy anymore.'

He formed his hand into some sort of blade.

"**Desert Girasole (desert sunflower)!**" he announced and punched into the ground. 'Now try to get away from that.'

The ground beneath Luffy collapsed and he dropped into the hole. The ground beneath him then turned into quicksand. He quickly started running up, to avoid getting buried alive. Then he sensed Crocodile approaching down, coming at him with his hook on his left hand and what seemed like some sort of blade made of sand.

'So, he's no longer underestimating me.' Luffy thought. He dodged the hook. 'That's good.'

"**BARCHAN(Desert crescent blade)!**" his foe announced.

'Should I try to block it?' Luffy thought.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Impel down jailers tried to shoot Crocodile. All their bullets passed through him._

_"Idiots! Use prison bullets!" someone yelled._

_Crocodile used this as his cue. He lunged forward, extending his right arm._

_"Barchan!" he announced his attack._

_His arm turned into sand and he literally cut through three jailers with that sand. Swords or guns they tried to protect themselves with did not work. The jailers dried up almost completely and immediately._

* * *

'Crap.' Luffy thought and dodged the incoming trail of sand by barely a millimeter.

"Nice dodge." Crocodile complimented."It seems there is much more to you than I first thought, Straw Hat."

But then Crocodile used his both legs to kick Luffy straight down into the center of the quicksand, while he used his devil fruit power to stay in the air.

Immediately upon hitting the center with one of his legs, Luffy pushed himself into the air and used his Soru to try and quickly get out of the hole, but Crocodile formed out of nearby sand in front of him just as he was about to leave the hole.

'Damn it. He's good.' Luffy thought. 'Better than I remember from Arabasta.'

Luffy avoided the incoming kick and dodged his right hand, with which his foe was attempting to grab him with, no doubt to to try and dry him. But then, his hook approached.

Luffy knew that if he dodged the slash, Crocodile would probably get enough time to kick him back in.

"**Armament.**" He murmured and reinforced his chest area with shiny black haki armor. The hook hit him, but it was unable to damage him trough his armor. Crocodile looked in surprise, but he didn't have too much time for that, as he saw his opponent pulling both of his fists back into the center of the hole.

'He's a devil fruit user!' he thought, alarmed. His opponent did seem to be incredibly flexible, even for a boy, but he did not think that was actually because of a devil fruit.

"**Gomu Gomu no** …" Luffy announced. Crocodile's eyes widened.

"**Bazooka!**" Luffy finished and hit Crocodile straight into his chest. Said Shichibukai jumped slightly back to try and avoid the hit, but he was still sent flying into the desert.

Luffy was finally free and jumped out of the hole with the quicksand. He landed in front of his foe.

Crocodile coughed up a bit of blood and looked angrily at his young enemy.

'He's much more powerful than I thought.'

"Well, it seems I shouldn't have underestimated you, Straw Hat Luffy." Crocodile announced. Luffy smirked.

"You're right." He told him. "But it seems I made the same mistake, Royal Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile." And he meant it. Even using Soru, Crocodile was capable of keeping up with him. He may not have had the raw strength that Luffy had, but he definitely possessed a very powerful logia devil fruit and has mastered it very well.

His foe's eyes traveled to the hourglass on the ground. The three minutes have long passed already. He scowled in both anger and irritation.

"Well, shall we finish this?" he asked after a few seconds of silence. He put his right hand on his hook and pulled down the golden part, revealing the poisonous hook underneath.

"In fights between pirates, anything goes. Nothing is too dirty or unfair. The battle between two pirates is to the death." Crocodile continued. "And as you could see, I'm not one of those fools who'd be content to simply possess a devil fruit. I've trained it and turned it into a weapon."

His right hand formed a blade. Luffy nodded.

"So have I." he replied. Crocodile's eyes widened slightly. Luffy took the thumb of his right hand and bit into it.

"**Gear Third.**" He announced and blew air into his thumb. Crocodile looked in shock as Luffy's right fist expanded in size. His opponent pulled his hand behind him and formed a fighting stance.

"This hand," Luffy announced. "It's the hand of a giant!"

Crocodile looked at the hand in skepticism.

'That hand might be just for show.' He thought. 'But I can't take the risk and get hit by it.'

"**Gomu Gomu no Giganto Pistol!**" Luffy announced and threw his hand on his foe. The hand approached fast, so Crocodile wasted no time, turned into sand and flew away with his powers, which increased his speed. Luffy pulled back his fist and turned it normal.

"**Barchan(Desert Crescent blade)!**" Crocodile shouted and Luffy jumped into the air, avoiding the malicious slash. Crocodile smirked and reformed above Luffy and tried to impale him with his hook. Luffy dodged the hook, but then Crocodile grabbed his hand and used his powers to dry it out.

Luffy screamed and quickly punched his foe away with a haki-infused punch. He activated his Soru and lunged at the water, that he had long since accidentally dropped on the ground. He quickly drank a bit and his arm returned to normal, but Crocodile wouldn't let him rest for long. He reformed behind him and tried to impale him, but he dodged it. However, the poisonous hook still gave Luffy a flesh wound.

"Ahaahaahaahaa! This battle is over now. The poison will start to spread all over your body now!" Crocodile told him. True to his word, Luffy started feeling pain, but to his relief, it wasn't as bad as he thought it'd be.

'So, some of my poison resistance is still there.' Luffy thought and grinned. 'It's not as good as it was after Magellan, but it seems it'll still manage to protect me a bit.'

"Why are you smiling, Mugiwara? You're going to die now." Crocodile told him. Luffy laughed.

"It's not over until I drop dead, Crocy." He told him. His foe's eyes darkened.

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" he yelled at Luffy. He simply laughed.

"Make me… _Crocy_!" Luffy told him, smirking smugly upon saying the last word. Crocodile opened the palm of his hand. A very small sandstorm formed in it.

"**Sables(Sandstorm)!**" he announced and threw the tiny sandstorm at Luffy. The sandstorm grew larger and larger, pulling sand from the surrounding desert. As the sandstorm pulled him, Luffy immediately jumped high in the sky and allowed the storm to carry him up until he emerged at the top, high above Crocodile. He extended his arms and grabbed a rock in the desert and pulled himself to it. Immediately upon landing, Crocodile appeared behind him, slicing through his cardigan and again slashing him. By moving his body a bit forward, Luffy avoided any major damage from the slash, but more poison spread through his body.

"**Armament!**" he announced, pulled his right hand back, twisting it around as he did and turned towards Crocodile, who was behind him, by twisting his body in such a way that would be unnatural to anyone without a rubber fruit. "**Gomu Gomu no Rifle!**"

The attack hit Crocodile straight in the gut and sent him back, flying. He stopped himself after a few meters and put his hand in front of his mouth. He coughed up lots of blood. He looked at Luffy.

'Damn, this is bad.' He thought. 'If this goes on like this, I won't be able to hold on long enough for him to collapse because of the poison.'

"Why are you even fighting?" he asked aloud. "It's for someone else, isn't it?! Why are you fighting for someone else?"

"Why wouldn't I?" Luffy asked with a smile. "I don't know what happened to you to make you think caring about others is worthless, but my nakama mean everything to me. My dream has no meaning without them."

Crocodile laughed then.

"Then you're about to lose your meaning, Mugiwara. They are probably already dead or will be soon." He told him. Luffy laughed.

"My nakama are strong enough to defeat your agents, Crocodile." He answered. His foe smirked.

"Ahaahaahaahaa! Even if they do, even if the war somehow stops, even if both me and my partner are defeated, everyone else will still die." Crocodile announced. "Ahaahaahaahaa! And do you know why, Mugiwara? It's because the-"

"If you're going to tell me about the bomb, don't waste your time." Luffy interrupted and grinned. Crocodile's eyes widened in horror and his mouth parted.

"What?" he asked quietly. He looked as if his mind had just collapsed.

"I know about the bomb, Crocy. And I've already told Smoker and my crew about it." Luffy started. Crocodile stared at him in disbelief.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_Luffy turned to Vivi, while they on top of the crab._

_"Vivi," he begun. She turned to him. _

_"What?" she asked. _

_"When Crocodile and his partner were leaving, I heard them say something about a bomb." He told her._

_"With my haki, when they were in the corridor." He quickly added when she tried to say something. "It's probably in Alubarna, somewhere where lots of soldiers will be. Like near the plaza."_

_"WHAT?" she yelled._

_"I'm thinking about that clockwork tower that my friend Shanks told me was nearby." Luffy lied. "You should stop that from happening. "_

_She nodded. Although she looked very surprised, she didn't say anything else._

_"Also, I've told Smokey the same thing and asked him not to attack us in that note." Luffy added._

_"YOU WHAT?!" everyone yelled._

_"Relax," Luffy told them. "He's a good guy. He'll keep his promise."_

_Then Luffy saw the golden hook approaching._

* * *

"I even know where it is and about the timer." Luffy added.

"But how-" Crocodile tried to say.

"You lost the moment Vivi met me, Crocodile. At the second we became friends, your plans crashed and burned completely." Luffy interrupted.

"As for how, Crocy. I have friends everywhere." Luffy lied, but not quite. It was true Luffy had or would have friends everywhere, but said friends were mostly only that and would not help him against their own organization. However, Crocodile wouldn't need to know that.

His eyes widened again.

'Mr. 2, Mrs. All Sunday.' He thought. He remembered Luffy's and Robin's interaction and Bon Clay's gloomy mood when he was told he had to fight them.

"WHY YOU BASTARD!" Crocodile yelled and ran towards Luffy and attacked him. His foe dodged his hook and his attempt to impale him.

"**Armament.**" Luffy murmured and delivered a heavy punch into the gut of the frenzied Sand pirate.

Crocodile struggled to keep up and coughed up some more blood.

"It's straight into Impel Down for you I'm afraid." Luffy told him. "But don't worry, I think we'll meet again. Then I'll be able to yet show you more of my impressions."

Crocodile gritted his teeth and clenched his fist in fury. 'Why is he still standing? Isn't he affected by the poison?!' he asked himself. Luffy used his observation haki and noted that Robin was watching from the distance.

'I knew it.' He thought and grinned, but then he was interrupted from further thinking by an enraged Crocodile, who once again tried to kill him. Luffy kept dodging every attempt, infuriating him further and then Crocodile used another one of his sandstorm attacks. Luffy avoided it again, but at the top of it, Crocodile was waiting, bearing a slasher smile.

"This is the end for you." He announced and slashed Luffy across his back with his hook. He gritted his teeth in pain.

'I screwed up. I didn't use armament fast enough.' Luffy thought. He was still fine of course, but in he was in a lot of pain. But despite of that, he grinned.

"No, exactly the opposite." Luffy replied. "This is the beginning."

"**Armament.**" He murmured and pulled both of his fists back.

"**Desert la Spada(Desert blades)!**" Crocodile yelled and formed four desert blades out of his sand and threw them at Luffy.

"**Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!**" Luffy announced and snapped his arms forward. He managed to hit straight through the blades, as if they were nothing with his haki infused power.

His two arms hit Crocodile straight in the chest. The Shichibukai, unable to last any longer, fell down on the ground. He landed near the hole of quicksand that he himself had created. Luffy landed on the ground near him and watched at him for a minute.

'We'll meet again, Crocodile. I hope you'll change until then.' He thought.

"I never expected this to happen." A soft melodic voice announced. Luffy turned around and saw an astonished looking Robin.

"So you've returned, Nico Robin." Luffy told her. "Now, what should I do with _you_?"

She crossed her arms, perceiving his words as a threat.

"You may have defeated Crocodile, but power and speed mean nothing to me, Monkey D Luffy." She told him, with slight panic in her voice, but she didn't use her power.

"Don't be a bad girl now." Luffy told her. "And you can't break rubber. You'd better not try."

Luffy then felt another aura approaching.

"I've found you!" a male voice announced. A warrior with white paint on his face and white clothes with black symbols on them approached. It was Pell. But then he noticed Crocodile on the ground, unconscious and looked at Luffy who was observing Mr. AllSunday with her arms crossed.

Said woman looked very nervous for the first time he had seen her.

"And you aren't strong enough to keep me down long enough to suffocate me." Luffy told her, ignoring Pell, who looked from one to the other.

'He was in control. The whole time.' Robin thought.

She dropped her hands from her stance.

"It would seem I'm at your mercy then." She said with a slightly shaken voice. Pell looked at her in surprise. He was astonished by how easily the boy had gotten her to admit her defeat and by using words alone.

"Yes." Luffy confirmed. "But don't worry. As long as you stay a _good girl_ and help me end this war, nothing bad will happen to you."

"WHAT?!" Pell yelled. "HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?! DON'T YOU KNOW WHAT SHE DID?"

Luffy looked at him.

"She did bad thing, yes. But all this was _his_ doing. Not _hers_." He told him and pointed at the fallen warlord. The warrior gritted his teeth, but then sighed in resignation.

"You had your own reasons to comply with Crocodile." Luffy asked Robin. "What were they?"

Robin sighed. There was no point keeping anything from him any longer.

"Protection. And the chance to see the Poneglyph of Arabasta. I'm searching for the Rio Poneglyph." She told him. Luffy nodded.

"I can offer you both if you want. But first, we three need to go stop a war." Luffy announced and picked up Crocodile with one of his rubber hands.

"LET'S GO!"

* * *

_YAY! Croco-boy is defeated now! I don't have much to comment in this chapter except maybe Crocy's overall toughness. Croco-boy was shown in Marineford arc to be no joke, despite getting defeated by Luffy much earlier on. He managed to tank Jozu's diamond body slam with relatively small damage to his body and he clashed with both Doflamingo and Mihawk. Admittedly, none of their fights lasted long, but Croco was doing okay, I think. The primary two reasons why he was defeated in Arabasta IMHO was because of his devil fruit weakness to liquid and general incompetence in battle because of either overconfidence and/or anger. But if you think Croco-boy was too tough in my chapter, remember that he's fighting in the desert (his ideal place), he's not solidified by water at any point in fight and that he still received major damage with each blow he got, even though he took only like four or five. The battle was still quite easy for Luffy, but Crocodile made it a bit of a challenge._

_Second thing, if you're disappointed that Luffy won in the first round, since I admit that kicking him through a ton of bedrock is quite a bit more epic, remember that Luffy doesn't think like that. He wants to end the war and make sure his friends are safe as soon as possible._

_Also, Luffy gave Robin the invitation to join him a bit sooner now. _

_Next up, stopping the war! The poneglyph! And more (probably). Hope you enjoyed this chapter and please review._

_P.S.: Just noticed. No sword use in this chapter. Kinda tempted to include them now (to anger a certain asshole reviewer), but no._

* * *

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	29. I've come to stop this war

**29. I've come to stop this war**

"DON'T DO IT!" someone yelled. Vivi and the rest of them looked up to see Pell approaching, carrying three figures and another hanging from the hand of one of them. They stopped what they were doing (which was trying to blow up the palace) and looked at the approaching people.

After a few seconds, Pell landed.

"Thank you, Pell." A very well-known voice announced. The bird zoan nodded but then collapsed in pain on the floor, just as they were about to 'dismount'.

"PELL!" Vivi yelled in shock.

"Don't worry about him, Miss Wednesday. He's just tired." A melodic voice announced.

"YOU!" Vivi screamed. The guards took up their arms in alarm. "MISS ALLSUNDAY!"

"She helped us get your father, so don't be angry at her, Vivi." Another voice said.

Then the three figures stepped towards her. It was Nefertari Cobra, Nico Robin and Monkey D Luffy, who was dragging someone with his elastic hand.

"He's right, Vivi." The king told her. She simply nodded, but then she took note of the man Luffy was dragging. "Luffy-san, is that-"

"Yes, that's Crocodile." Luffy interrupted and threw him towards her feet. She, along with several royal guards gasped in awe and disbelief. "He gave me a little trouble, but I kicked the crap out of him."

Luffy sighed.

"Get some seastone cuffs and put them on him, otherwise he'll be a threat again, once he wakes up." Luffy told a random guard. The man nodded and ran off somewhere. Luffy then turned to Vivi. "Have you found the bomb?"

Vivi shook her head.

"I came straight here. Didn't have much choice, you see." She told him. "But I did tell the other guys."

"What bomb?" Cobra asked in shock. Robin turned to him.

"Crocodile put a bomb in the clockwork tower. It's planned to go off soon." She told him. He, along with the guards looked in shock.

"I've also told the marines." Luffy added. "But I don't trust them, so-"

"I'll go to the clockwork tower, then." Pell told from behind them. Luffy turned and nodded. "Take Robin here with you. She can help you with any guards." He told him. Pell looked at him skeptically and then at the king, who nodded. Then he shrugged and also nodded. She got on his back and they flew off.

"Luffy-san! You can't trust her!" Vivi yelled once they disappeared into the distance. Luffy shook his head.

"She won't dare betray me. I have what she wants." He replied.

"SHE KILLED IGARAM!" Vivi yelled. Everyone looked at her in shock, including the king.

"No." Luffy told her, startling everyone with the information. "Igaram is alive."

Vivi looked at him in shock.

"She made it look like he died. I wanted to tell you, but if Crocodile knew that he was alive, she'd have no choice but to actually kill him." Luffy told them. Then he turned and walked towards the soon-to-be-battlefield.

"But there's no time to think about all that." He finally said. "There's bigger things to worry about."

He pointed towards city, from where the rebel army was fast approaching towards them.

'That rain would be very handy now.' Luffy thought. A royal guard finally arrived with seastone cuffs and restrained Crocodile. Then Luffy felt a presence approaching.

"Vivi." A voice said.

"Kohza!" Vivi shouted upon seeing him. "Listen, … "

"VIVI!" he interrupted. "Who was it that stole the country's rain?"

"Crocodile." She said and pointed at the fallen warlord. The rebel leader's eyes widened in shock.

"This country's hero? He was the one behind everything?" he asked.

"Crocodile was never a hero." Luffy told him and everyone turned to him. "He planned all of this, but he doesn't even want the country."

Everyone looked at him in horror.

"WHAT?" Vivi yelled. "SO WHY DID HE DO ALL OF THIS?"

Luffy looked at her.

"He wanted the ancient weapon, Pluton." He told them. He turned then to the king, who looked at him, shocked. "You know of this weapon?"

Cobra nodded.

"It's location is supposed to be inscribed on the poneglyph underneath the palace. It's what the royal family is protecting." He told them. Luffy nodded.

"Mrs. AllSunday searched for that stone as well, but for a different reason. That's why she helped him." He told him. Then he walked past them and picked Crocodile up again. "Let's go stop a war."

Kohza looked at him.

"Sorry, but who are you?" he asked. Luffy turned to him.

"I'm Monkey D Luffy, a pirate." He answered. Everyone gasped (they didn't know yet).

"A pirate?" Kohza asked with narrowed eyes. "What's a pirate doing here?"

"I'm the one who brought Vivi back to Arabasta and I'm the one who beat up this Shichibukai right here." Luffy told him. Kohza turned to Vivi.

"Is that true?" he asked her. She smiled and nodded.

"Let's go now." Luffy interrupted them. "The more time we waste, the more people may die."

They quickly nodded and went after him. Luffy, Vivi, Cobra and Kohza all walked down the stairs that led to the palace.

"FLY THE WHITE FLAG!" Vivi yelled. Everyone looked up.

"THAT'S RIGHT!" the king yelled in confirmation. "EVERYONE DROP YOUR WEAPONS! ROYAL ARMY!"

"If we do that, what'll become of the country?" one of the royal guards asked. Then they noticed who was walking beside them.

"That's Kohza! What's the rebel leader doing alongside them?" a royal soldier asked in shock.

"LISTEN TO THEM!" he yelled. "WE NO LONGER WANT VICTORY OR WAR! THIS BATTLE MUST END!"

They looked at him shocked, very surprised by his words.

"I'LL INFORM THE REBEL ARMY THAT THIS BATTLE IS MEANINGLESS! THE ENTIRE THINGS WAS CAUSED BY THIS MAN HERE!" he yelled and pointed at Crocodile. Luffy lifted the Shichibukai and put him into a near standing position and used his arm to make Crocodile wave with his hook at them.

"Crocodile?" they whispered.

"PLEASE FLY THE WHITE FLAG!" he once again asked. "I BEG OF YOU!"

They did as he said and took up white flags at the front. The approaching rebel army stopped upon seeing that. Rebel leader Kohza also took one and stepped at the front. The other three were behind the royal army.

"THIS BATTLE IS OVER!" Kohza announced at the front. "REBELS, CALM YOUR ANGER AND THROW DOWN YOUR WEAPONS! THE ROYAL ARMY NO LONGER WISHES TO FIGHT!"

"Is that true?" one of rebel soldiers in the front asked. Presumably he was one of the people in charge.

"Yes." The leader confirmed.

Then, someone in the ranks of the royal army took out a pistol and fired at him.

Luffy noticed this. With Crocodile still safely in his hand, Luffy activated his Soru and just in time, he intercepted the bullets. He repelled them somewhere in the air. He glared at the one who did this and the man fell down.

"KOZHA-SAN!" multiple rebel soldiers yelled, as it appeared that he was hit. The leader turned around and noticed his savior.

"You … " he whispered in shock.

Then Luffy jumped down from the platform that Kohza and he were standing on. He stepped in the middle between the two armies and threw Crocodile on the ground.

He turned sideways, so that he had the royal army on his right and the rebel one on his left.

"Who is that?" multiple voices asked from both sides.

"I'M MONKEY D LUFFY!" he announced. "I'm the one who brought princess Vivi back to her country and I'm here to stop this war."

"Luffy-san … " Vivi whispered with tears in her eyes somewhere in the background. The king looked at her and grabbed her arm and smiled to her.

"You have found a great friend." He told her. She nodded and smiled.

"This man!" Luffy continued and pointed at the fallen enemy. "Royal Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile, is the man who caused this war."

This caused quite the commotion between the soldiers. They were in a state of disbelief.

"But Crocodile-san …"

" … This country's hero … "

" … Our savior! … "

" … Can't be … "

"SHUT UP!" Luffy yelled and interrupted them. They all put their attention back on him. "He used that dance powder thing to make this country dry!"

Many eyes widened upon hearing this.

"He and his group Baroque Works are the reason this war even began!" he announced. "It was their plan all along to have this country fight, but I defeated him and my crew defeated his agents."

They started whispering amongst themselves again.

"If anyone wants to fight any longer … " Luffy announced and pulled out his sword.

'Sorry, Shanks, but I'm stealing your line here.' Luffy thought and grinned inwardly.

"Then fight _me_! I'll take you all on!" he finished.

The soldiers gaped at him in disbelief, as well as Kohza, Cobra and Vivi (despite already knowing that Luffy was very strong). They couldn't believe what their eyes saw and their ears heard.

'Luffy-san … ' Vivi thought to herself as she looked at him, positioned between the two armies.

"If not, then everyone drop your weapons. You have no reason to fight anymore." He added after a few minutes.

The men looked at each other and after a few moments started dropping their weapons. Luffy could see that even the agents started dropping them, not daring to go against the man that they learned had beaten up the man, who they now knew was their boss.

Then Luffy sensed another presence among the crowd, a distinctly different one. He saw ensign Tashigi and two other marines trying to make their way through the rebel army. The soldiers moved out of their way upon seeing the navy insignia.

After they made their way through the crowd, Tashigi looked at Luffy with uncertainty. Luffy nodded to her.

"He's all yours." He told her. She nodded and looked at the unconscious Shichibukai.

"A Baroque works ship carrying dance powder has been captured!" she announced, gaining everyone's attention. "Leader of the secret organization, Baroque works, Royal Shichibukai pirate, Sir Crocodile. By order of the Marine Headquarters, acting with the authority of the World Government, in accordance with the Naval Enemy Seizure Clause, you are henceforth stripped of all titles and privileges granted to you by the government."

Luffy grinned. She turned his attention to him now.

"Straw Hat Luffy!" she began. "You're a pirate too, but you saved this country, so I thank you."

She bowed her head. This earned gasps of surprise, both at learning that Luffy was a pirate and because of a marine thanking a non-Shichibukai pirate.

"Did you get rid of the bomb?" Luffy asked her. She lifted her head in surprise. She nodded. Then he was the one who bowed his head.

"Then I have to say thanks too." He told her. She looked at him in total surprise, as did many of the onlookers.

"Now listen up!" he yelled out. "As of today, I'm putting Arabasta under the protection of the flag of the Straw Hat pirates. If anyone dares to do anything like this in Vivi's country again, I'll beat them up like I beat up Crocodile!"

'Luffy-san ... '

After a while, the soldiers of Arabasta were in for another shock, as soon after rain started falling again. After a while, Igaram also arrived, carrying the child survivor from Nanohana, who confirmed everything Luffy and Kohza said.

* * *

_Okay now. I'm done with this chapter. Luffy came and pulled a 'Shanks' and stopped the war. And before you ask how Luffy knew what Shanks did at Marineford: Luffy does read. ... Sometimes. Even if he didn't, Rayleigh would tell him about it. So, how do you feel about this? Is it OOC? I personally don't know, I just thought that Luffy (at least this one) would do that, when he saw that stopping the war might not be so easy with Baroque works agents around._

_Also, everyone in the plaza now knows what a naughty guy Luffy is, beating up Shichibukai at breakfast, stopping wars at lunch, so the World Government won't be able to cover this up this time. :D _

_Another thing. I can't be exactly sure of the timing here. I couldn't exactly know how long stuff took to do, so I just did the story like I felt it would happen._

_Next up! Showing Robin her poneglyph, calling Whitebeard, gaining bounties, more Bon-chan, Robin joining ... hopefully all of that. But at the very least some of that. I hope you enjoyed this rather regrettably short chapter. Please review and don't start hating swords for no reason! :D_

* * *

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	30. Chatting with insanely powerful guys

**30. Chatting with insanely powerful guys**

"HEY GUYS!" Luffy greeted cheerfully. The Straw hats lying on the floor grunted in greeting. Luffy approached them and sat on the floor next to them.

"You look beaten up." He commented.

"THAT'S BECAUSE WE WERE!" they yelled at him with shark teeth. Luffy scratched his head and laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry, sorry!" he apologized insincerely. "Anyway, when you guys can move we're invited to the palace! They're preparing a feast for us!"

"So that's why you're so happy?!" Nami asked him. Luffy laughed.

"Well, partly. Because of that and because of how cool I looked when I stopped the war!" Luffy announced.

"WHAAT?!" everyone yelled. Luffy stood up and pulled out his sword.

"Yeah, the royal army was on the right and the rebels were on the left. I had Crocodile lying at my feet. And I was like: If you guys want to continue fighting, I'm kicking all your asses!" he announced and raised his chest proudly.

"Really?" Chopper and Usopp beamed. Luffy nodded.

"You're so cool, Luffy!" Chopper told him with stars in his eyes. Luffy laughed embarrassed. The rest of them looked shocked at Luffy.

"Y-You actually did that?" Zoro asked. Luffy nodded.

"And I looked awesome, didn't I, Robin?" Luffy asked and looked behind him.

"I'm sure you did." A flowery voice announced. Nico Robin stepped up to Luffy. Everyone tensed up.

"Ah, you weren't watching?" Luffy asked with a disappointed voice. She shook her head.

"Luffy, what's Miss AllSunday doing here?" Zoro asked. Everyone was now standing, gripping their weapons.

"Nico Robin here is part of our crew now." Luffy announced.

"WHAAAAT?"

* * *

_Flashback:_

_"Hey Vivi, King, could you guys take me and Nico Robin here to see your poneglyph?" Luffy asked. They were met with shocked stares._

_"Luffy-san, you can't be serious! That stone most likely tells about the ancient weapon!" Vivi shouted. _

_"I have no interest in weapons. I only wish to see the Rio Poneglyph." Robin told her. Cobra looked at them skeptically._

_"Even so, it's too dangerous." He said. Luffy shook his head._

_"Nico Robin is on her own now. I don't think she can do much with the information if she's alone." He replied. She nodded._

_"Well, I guess then it wouldn't hurt." Cobra replied._

* * *

_A few minutes later …_

* * *

_Robin stood in the chamber underneath the palace and looked at the large stone, known as the poneglyph. She spent a few minutes reading the writing on it. Luffy, Vivi and the king kept their distance and looked from the corridor. _

_When she turned around, Vivi and Cobra were startled. She had tears falling down her face. She looked completely defeated._

_'Ah Robin.' Luffy thought sadly._

_"It wasn't it." she said simply and looked at the ground. "It tells the location of Pluton, like I thought. This was my final and only lead, but it isn't what I hoped it'd be."_

_"What did you want it to be?" the king asked._

_"The Rio Poneglyph. Out of the poneglyphs existing in the world, it's the one stone that tells the True history."_

_"The True history?" Vivi asked. "What is that?"_

_"It tells about the missing period of time. The true about the void century." she told her. Luffy nodded. _

_"Shanks told me about this." Luffy lied. Everyone looked at him. "Everything from that period has been covered up by the government. But he didn't tell me what happened."_

_"Shanks?" Robin repeated. "But how could he know what happened? Nobody knows."_

_Luffy shook his head._

_"Shanks does." he told them. "But he said that if I want to know, I should find out on my own."_

_"You don't mean Red-Haired Shanks, one of the Four Emperors?" Robin asked with a wide-eyed expression._

_"He can't mean-" Cobra began._

_"Yes." Luffy interrupted. He ignored their shocked expressions and looked at Robin._

_"Your dream is to learn of the Void century?" he asked her. She nodded._

_"What a foolish dream … " Luffy told her. She looked down on the ground again._

_" … but nowhere near as foolish as mine." he finished and grinned. She looked at him with a shocked expression._

_"You have nowhere to go, is that right?" he asked her. She shook her head sadly. "Then come with me and my crew." _

_"What?" she asked quietly. Vivi and Cobra looked at him._

_"We all have really stupid and impossible dreams, Nico Robin. You'd fit right in." Luffy answered. _

_"I don't know what to say." Robin told him. Luffy grinned._

_"Just say yes!" he shouted. She smiled._

_"But is it really alright?" she asked. "I was your enemy. I helped Crocodile."_

_Luffy shook his head. _

_"That's all in the past now." he told her. "Besides, you helped us save Vivi's country."_

_"He's right." Vivi interjected. Robin looked at her in shock._

_"You … " she whispered. Vivi simply smiled._

_"Alright, Monkey D Luffy, I'll join your crew." she replied after a moment of silence._

_"That's a good girl." Luffy answered._

_"Could you please stop calling me that?"_

* * *

"So there, that's what happened!" Luffy told them. "Also, could you show them your cool powers, Robin?"

She crossed her arms and two hands grew out of Luffy's hat, one on each side.

"Shishishi! See, I'm Chopper now!" he said. Chopper and Usopp looked at him and started laughing, despite being in a bad condition.

Sanji, of course wasn't even attempting to oppose her joining, but Zoro and Nami looked at her nervously.

"You're not going to convince _me _so easily!" Nami announced and kicked the ground. Robin looked at her smugly.

"Ah by the way, I have some of Crocodile's jewels!" she announced and pulled out a small bag. Nami's eyes turned into Berry.

"Ah, I love you, big sister!" she shouted and quickly took the bag. Everyone sweat-dropped.

'So much for not being convinced easily.' Luffy thought to himself and grinned. Now the only one remaining was Zoro, but Luffy knew she'd prove herself to him in battle.

"Now let's go to the palace guys! I have an interview waiting!" Luffy chirped out.

" … interview?" everyone repeated. They started getting up again.

"Yes." Robin confirmed. "It seems the Arabasta newspaper wants an interview of their savior!"

Luffy laughed cheerfully. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"You're enjoying this way too much, Luffy!" Zoro yelled. Luffy scratched his head sheepishly.

"Why wouldn't he?" Robin asked. "He's a hero now after all!"

"Hey now!" Luffy told her and pointed her sword, which was still in his hand, in her direction. She flinched slightly. "I'm not a hero!"

Everyone looked at him weirdly.

"What are you talking about, Luffy?" Nami asked, bewildered. "Of course you are."

Luffy sheathed his sword and huffed like he was terribly offended.

"Do you even know what a hero is?" he asked them. They just stared at him. "Let's say you have a piece of meat! A hero will share his meat. But I want it all for myself!"

"That's how he describes a hero?" Nami asked herself. A few of them laughed.

"Now let's go! I want my meat! And my interview! And I need to call Whitebeard already!" Luffy announced. Robin looked at him wide-eyed.

"You were serious about that?" she asked. He nodded.

"Of course. My brothers Ace and Sabo are part of his crew and Ace gave me his number." Luffy told her.

"Are they 'Fire Fist' and 'Blue Gentleman'?" she asked. Luffy nodded.

'Wow. For one to have such connections to the crew of not one, but two Yonkou.' Robin thought. The Straw Hat pirates then finally all stood up. Luffy wordlessly assisted Zoro, who seemed the most damaged, while Robin proceeded to carry in her arms the cute little Chopper (much to his panicked protests and Sanji's jealous sulking) and help the also very beaten up Usopp (much to the protests of the navigator, who claimed she was more damaged). But she calmed down when Sanji supported her (with a heart in his eye).

* * *

A few minutes later (in the palace) …

* * *

After entering the palace, the royal guard immediately noticed how beaten up the crew was, so they got them to a guest room with several beds in it. The exhausted crew members immediately fell down into their beds and a few of them dozed off (most notably Zoro and Usopp). Chopper didn't allow himself to rest however, as he wanted to treat all their wounds, but then the Arabasta doctors arrived and made him their first patient.

Luffy looked proudly at his nakama, but then he suddenly fell on his knees, making the others panic.

'Damn poison. Forgot about it.' he thought.

The doctors tried to get to him, but he motioned them to stop.

"But Luffy, they have to treat you!" Chopper yelled with tears in his eyes. Luffy looked at him.

"It's fine. I only forgot to take the antidote to Crocodile's poison." he told them. Everyone looked at him as he sat on the floor and took the black box from his pocket and opened it. He took a tiny bottle from it, opened it and drank.

"How could you forget that you were poisoned, moron!" Nami yelled at him. Luffy just laughed.

"Oh!" Luffy exclaimed, startling everyone. He bumped himself on the head. "Do you guys have a Den Den Mushi here? I need to call Whitebeard!"

The doctors looked at him with wide-eyes. Then one of them nodded.

"You should ask one of the royal guards to get one for you!" he told Luffy. He nodded and stormed out. After a few minutes, when the doctors where already gone (except Chopper), he returned with a plate and a Den Den Mushi on it.

'Is he really going to do that?' Robin asked herself.

"Luffy-san!" someone yelled. He turned around and noticed Vivi. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yes, everyone's fine, but I'd like to call Shirohige now, so everyone be quiet and close the door!" Luffy commanded. She did as he said and sat on one of the beds. Luffy sat on the sofa and put the platter on the table next to it. Robin and Nami sat next to him.

"Now remember: this is a conversation between two captains, so be quiet!" he ordered.

Luffy pulled out a paper from his pocket and called the number on it.

"Hello? Moosh Moosh!" he greeted.

"Hello." A bored sounding voice asked. "Who is this, yoi?"

'Ah, the phoenix guy.' Luffy thought.

"Is this the Moby Dick, the ship of Yonkou, Whitebeard?" he asked aloud.

"Yes it is, yoi." The man replied. Everyone in the room gasped. "My name is Marco, 1st division commander. Who are you, yoi?"

'I can't believe this.' Nami thought. '1st division commander of the Whitebeard pirates.'

"I'm Monkey D Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat Pirates!" Luffy replied cheerfully.

"Luffy?" the man repeated, but then he realized something. "Ah, you must be Ace's and Sabo's brother, right?"

"That's right." Luffy replied.

"So why are you calling, Luffy?" Marco asked.

"I'd like to talk with your captain and Sabo." Luffy told him. The line was silent for a moment.

"OI, SABO! COME HERE, YOI!" the man yelled.

"What is it?" another voice asked.

"It's your brother, yoi!" Marco answered.

"Ace?" the voice asked.

"No, Luffy!" Marc o replied.

"L-L-Luffy? Who gave him this number?" the voice stuttured.

"Ace." Luffy answered to them. Then they heard someone walking and picking up the Den Den mushi.

"Hi, Luffy! How have you been?" Sabo finally asked. This time his voice sounded louder, as he was talking directly into the device.

"I'm good, Sabo! Great actually! I just beat up Crocodile and we're about to celebrate!" Luffy replied.

"C-C-Crocodile? Sir Crocodile? Of the Shichibukai?" Sabo stuttered.

"Yep." Luffy replied. "Is that surprising?"

He could hear Marco chuckling in the background and Sabo trying to say something.

"H-How the hell did you beat Crocodile?" he finally asked. Luffy laughed.

"I used water, since he's a sand logia. Then I punched him a few times. Shishishishi!" he replied. Robin narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

'He didn't use water. He didn't have to.' She thought to herself. 'So why is he lying?'

"And then I claimed Arabasta as my own." Luffy added after a moment as Sabo didn't seem to be able to say anything.

"WHAAAT?" everyone except Vivi and Luffy yelled.

"Shishishi! You guys are all so funny! Why are you so surprised, Sabo, Marco?" Luffy asked. "Oh and I stopped the war in Arabasta. I basically stood between the two armies and told them I'd beat them all up if they continued fighting! It was SOOOO COOL!"

Then everyone was startled to hear uncontrollable laughter from none other than the 1st division commander.

"Marco, stop it. Stop it. Why are you even laughing!?" Sabo yelled.

"Hahaha, sorry Sabo, but you and Ace are complete wimps compared to this guy." Marco replied. Luffy grinned and laughed.

"Shishishi! Thanks! Prepare to see my bounty double, Sabo!" he told them. "Oi, which Shichibukai should I beat up next? Is Gecko Moria anywhere near Arabasta?"

"DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, LUFFY!" Sabo yelled, while Marco roared in laughter in the background. "AND YOU! DON'T ENCOURAGE HIM!"

'Is he serious?' Nami thought. 'I thought Crocodile was scary enough.'

'Luffy is SO COOL!' Chopper thought and looked at his captain in admiration.

"So how have you been doing, Sabo? Is it true Blackbeard killed a crew member?" Luffy asked. This sobered them up immediately. Marco's laughter stopped.

"Almost." He replied somberly. Luffy's eyes widened.

'Thatch is alive?' Luffy thought surprised.

"I actually found Thatch just in time, before he bled out, yoi. Thanks to you I might add." Marco finished.

Every Straw hat member gasped in surprise at this new development.

"Thanks to me?" Luffy repeated in confusion.

"Yes. Sabo told me about some kind of weird warning you gave him when you were a kid, yoi. I remembered about that and Teach and got a really bad feeling, so I went to check on them. Turns out you were right in his case." Marco replied.

"So, you're saying Blackbeard is a big, fat, ugly guy with bushy chest hair that likes pies?" Luffy asked in a deadpanned voice.

"Yes, actually, yoi." Marco replied. "Why pies though?"

"I hate pies." Luffy replied. "So, is he going to make it?"

Marco sighed.

"Too soon to tell, yoi. Thatch is still fighting for his life." He replied.

"I see. But why does Ace think he's dead?" Luffy asked. Marco signed once again.

"When he saw Thatch lying in a pool of blood he assumed the worst and stormed off." He replied.

"I hope he recovers soon." Luffy told him.

"Thanks, I hope so too." Marco replied. "Now, Pops is resting, but I can take the Den Den Mushi to him if you wish."

"Okay!" Luffy replied.

"See you soon, Luffy!" Sabo yelled. Luffy smirked.

"Sure!" he answered.

'Don't tell me, he really is going to speak to the great Whitebeard!' thought Nami in shock. They heard the sound of walking and then Marco knocked on a door.

'Luffy-san, you should be careful how you speak to him.' Vivi thought, nervous.

"COME IN." a loud, booming voice announced. This startled the two sleeping nakama awake.

"What's going on?" Usopp and Zoro asked at almost the same time.

"Captain-san is going to talk to Whitebeard." Robin told them.

"Really?" they both asked. Usopp seemed scared as hell, while Zoro seemed excited.

'Edward Newgate, the strongest man in the world.' Zoro thought and grinned.

"Pops, I have someone who wants to talk to you!" they heard Marco say. Someone else groaned in annoyance.

"I thought I told that Red-Haired brat to stop calling me and come in person!" Whitebeard commented.

'This is definitely Edward Newgate.' Robin thought in shock.

'He refers to Red-Haired Shanks as a brat.' Usopp thought in panic. 'What has Luffy gotten himself into?'

"It's not Red-Haired, yoi. It's Ace's and Sabo's little brother, Straw Hat Luffy. The one with the incredible first bounty." Marco told him. Luffy smirked proudly.

"HEY, OLD MAN!" Luffy yelled. The entire Straw Hat crew cringed at this.

"Give me the Den Den Mushi, Marco." Whitebeard said calmly.

"Hey brat." He greeted after a few moments. "So you're their little brother?"

"That's right." Luffy replied.

"So why are you calling? Do you want to become my son like they have?" Whitebeard asked.

The Straw Hats were shocked. 'He's so quick to offer him to join the crew.' They thought.

Luffy laughed, much to the horror of some of his crew members.

'Luffy, don't provoke him. Please don't provoke him.' Thought Nami and Usopp while nearly praying. Chopper just thought Luffy was super cool and looked at him in awe, while Robin had a troubled expression. Sanji and Zoro just smirked.

"No, no, the pirate king can't have a captain." Luffy finally replied and this caused the navigator and sniper to become even more scared. There was silence from the other side for a moment.

"GURARARARARA! Pirate king, eh?" Whitebeard asked. "You are one cheeky brat, aren't you? And you have one really big dream."

"Shishishi, I guess so." Luffy replied to him. Nami and Usopp sighed in relief.

"So why are you calling me, brat?" he asked.

"I wanted to thank you for taking care of my brothers. Especially Ace. Do you know about-" Luffy began.

"Yes. I do." Whitebeard interrupted. "But it's no problem, kid. They are my sons now."

Luffy grinned.

"That's good." Luffy replied. "I'm really glad they've found their place. Especially Ace. He was really messed up as a kid because of – _you know_."

"How so?" Whitebeard asked.

'What are they talking about?' thought everyone.

"Well, " Luffy began. "Ace was really nasty when I first met him. I'm often told I have no manners, but he was much, much worse than that."

This information shocked the ones that met Ace (that is: everyone except Robin).

"He had no manners at all. Even worse. He actually spat at me when we first met, without even knowing anything about me." Luffy told him.

'No way.' Nami thought with her eyes wide. 'There's no way Ace was like that.'

"All because of _that_. Sabo wasn't as bad, but he had his problems too. So that's why I'm glad you gave them a family." Luffy finished.

"I see." Whitebeard replied quietly.

"There's one thing I'd like to ask though." Luffy told him.

"What is it?" the Yonkou asked.

"If we meet Blackbeard," Luffy began. "What should we do?"

There was silence for a few moments.

"If you meet him, don't fight unless you have to, brat." The Yonkou warned. "This will be settled by the Whitebeard pirates, so don't interfere. Your brother will handle it."

"I see." Luffy replied, but inwardly he cursed. "I'll do as you asked."

"Good. I hope we meet soon, brat." Whitebeard said. Luffy smiled.

"I have a feeling it'll be sooner than you think, old man." He replied.

"Gurarara, cheeky brat!" the Yonkou replied and hang up. Luffy sighed.

'Damn it.' Luffy thought. 'Now it's unavoidable.'

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" Nami yelled at him.

"What? What did I do?" Luffy asked her.

"WHY DID YOU TALK TO HIM THAT WAY?! HE'S THE STRONGEST MAN IN THE WORLD!" she continued.

"Nami, stop yelling. Shirohige-ossan hates wimps anyway."

* * *

_Yay! I'm done! How did you like this chapter, eh? Luffy talked with Whitebeard, Robin joined ... I named the chapter after Whitebeard, because it seemed like the highlight of this chapter (even though Robin joining is very important too). I'm sorry I didn't announce the bounties yet, but it seemed like it'd be too soon right now. You'll see them soon enough though. Next chapter probably, along with the reactions to both the bounty increase as well as Luffy stopping a war. And some more Bon-chan. Hopefully all of that._

_One thing. Would you like me to write the interview with Luffy or would you like me to just mention it maybe in conversation? Also, what do you think overall about Luffy getting interviewed as the hero of Arabasta? I mean, Luffy doesn't actually brag all that much (except maybe he'd brag to his brothers and important people he wants to impress like he did in this chapter), but I don't think he'd have anything against such an interview? Do you? In any case, I'm asking a bit late for this :D, since it's already written._

_Also, how did you like the Luffy-Marco, Luffy-Sabo and Luffy-Whitebeard interactions? I hope they seemed good and realistic to you._

_Another thing. Thatch survived. Barely. Because of Luffy's stupid statement about ugly, big, fat guys with bushy chest hair that like pies. And it rhymes. That too. Do you hope he survives? Oh, no, that also rhymes. And that. Anyway, Thatch is fighting for his life, so he won't be in the war. I'll probably make Sabo replace him for the time being. Do you think the reason why his life was saved is ridiculous? I won't blame you if you do. :D _

_I'll admit that initially, I intended to have Thatch die like in canon, but then someone asked me to spare him, so since I'm such a nice guy, I did! (unlike some asshole sword-hating reviewers I might mention)_

_And that's probably all I've got to say, so I'll bid you adieu. Please review if you will._

* * *

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	31. Royal Shichibukai, Sir Monkey D Luffy

**31. Royal Shichibukai, Sir Monkey D Luffy**

After lots of resting, an interview and a huge feast, where the king and his royal guards got a real taste of what a pirate banquet feels like, the Straw Hat pirates were invited to the royal bath.

Zoro was washing Chopper's back, while Luffy and Usopp messed around. The king simply sat down with his legs in the water.

"Hey, where's the girls bath?" Sanji asked with a perverted expression and poked Igaram with his elbow.

Igaram slapped Sanji's hand away angrily.

"You idiot!" he yelled. "Like I'd tell that to someone like you! Vivi-sama is in there!"

"Come on! Don't be so stingy!" Sanji replied.

"It's right over that wall!" Cobra announced and pointed.

"YOUR MAJESTY, YOU BASTARD!" Igaram yelled.

"Oh, I like your style!" Usopp told him. Everyone quickly ran over to the wall.

"This feels _so_ good!" they heard Nami say as they looked over the wall. "I wonder if any ships out there have baths this big on them?"

"I'm sure there are," Vivi replied. "The sea is so vast! We've seen giants, dinosaurs, sakura bloom in the land of snow, the sea must contain many more unbelievable things!"

"I have to agree. I'm sure civilian cruise ships as well as a few pirate ships have them!" Robin added.

"Wait a minute, what is everyone doing up there?" Vivi asked as she turned around and finally noticed Cobra, Sanji, Usopp, Igaram(the hypocrite), Eyelashes, Chopper and Luffy, all peeking at them.

"Those guys." Nami said and sighed. "Alright, It'll be 100.000 Berry each!"

She walked over from the bath towards them. The other two girls looked at her in confusion.

"Happiness punch!" she announced and opened her bath robe, revealing her 'features'. Everyone fell down from a nosebleed, except Chopper, who looked in confusion and Luffy who laughed and did a thumbs up. Then he quickly jumped down to the other guys and wiped his own, less noticeable nosebleed.

"Nami-san!" Vivi yelled with a blush, while Robin just chuckled.

"Why wasn't he affected?" Nami asked the other two.

They shrugged.

"Maybe he's gay." Nami concluded on her own after a few moments. Luffy, who was listening from the other side of the wall, smirked. Then soon, the rest of the guys managed to stand up, a few of them with hearts in their eyes.

"Maybe he just isn't as perverted." Robin suggested.

But then everyone was interrupted from their thoughts by squeaking. A bat made its way into the baths. Luffy's and Cobra's eyes widened upon seeing this, but nobody else knew what to think upon seeing this.

"I-It's from the World Government." Cobra told them with a shaken voice. He took the message from the bat and read the writing on the envelope. He gave it to Luffy, who took it and looked to everyone in surprise.

"T-T-That's bad." Usopp stuttered with a panicked expression. "They're probably saying we should prepare ourselves to die or something?"

"Don't be ridiculous!" Sanji yelled at him. "We saved one of their countries! There is no way it says that!"

Zoro just stared at the envelope, while Chopper looked at what Luffy will do.

"What's that, guys?" Nami yelled from the other side of the wall.

"LUFFY GOT A MESSAGE DIRECTLY FROM THE GOVERNMENT!" Usopp yelled.

"WHAT?!"

All three of the girls came running to the men's bath, much to the pleasure of a few perverted men (namely all of them :D).

"I-Is it true, Luffy-san?" Vivi stuttered. Luffy nodded. Then he turned his attention to the envelope. It said:

_To: Monkey D Luffy_

_From: Navy Headquarters at Marineford, The World Government_

Luffy slowly began unwrapping the paper. Robin's eyes were wide.

'It can't be … ' she thought. 'It's not possible.'

Cobra had much the same conclusion as Robin, but the rest of them didn't really know what it could be. Luffy's eyes widened in shock as he read the letter:

_Monkey D Luffy,_

_captain of the Straw Hat Pirates,_

_also known as Straw Hat Luffy,_

_Due to your recent defeat of the traitorous ex-Royal Shichibukai, Sir Crocodile, also known as the leader of the organization of Baroque works as well as the saving of Arabasta, a member kingdom of The World Government, you have been deemed worthy to take the now vacant seat as one of the Royal Shichibukai._

_If you accept this offer, your bounty and the bounties of your crew will be revoked and you will be able to operate as one of the only seven government sanctioned pirate warlords. You will be granted protection by the government as well as several other privileges, which include the use of the government exclusive Tarai current, the ability to request transportation on any government vessel, the ability to start earning money the legitimate way as well as by hunting other, non-Shichibukai pirates as well as many others, which may be discussed. You may act in any part of the sea, but you must stay within the Grand Line (you may leave it for short periods of time if required)._

_Of course, in return for your position, you will be required to stop any activities that go directly against the laws of the World Government. In addition, you will be required to obey any direct orders from the head of the Government or the Navy. If you should go against government laws, disobey your orders, be publicly defeated or humiliated or resign yourself, your bounty will once again become active and you'll be hunted once more._

_Should you accept, your position will be given immediately and your presence will be required at Navy Headquarters at Marineford to discuss your personal agreement with the Government. You will become known as the Royal Shichibukai, Sir Monkey D Luffy. If you are unable to come to the meeting by your own means, a government boat will be dispatched to pick you up._

_Becoming one of the government sanctioned pirates is a great honor and is rarely given to new players in the pirate world such as yourself, however you have proven yourself worthy first with your actions in East Blue and now in the kingdom of Arabasta, here on the Pirate Graveyard. As a result of your actions, you have gained a reputation for yourself practically overnight. You should also feel honored that while in normal circumstances a meeting is called between the Navy and the Shichibukai to determine the new member, the heads of the Government themselves have decided to forgo all that and invite you immediately._

_Should you refuse our very generous offer, your bounty will be updated to fit with your newly recorded level of strength and you will be hunted down like any other pirate._

_We wait for your answer and hope you'll make the right choice._

_Vice-Admiral Tsuru,_

_on behalf of the Fleet Admiral of the Marine HQ and the World Government._

Luffy started laughing almost hysterically upon reading the entire letter. Zoro pulled the note from his hand and read it.

"I-I can't believe it!" he stuttered. Everyone looked at him, now really on edge.

"What?!" Nami asked nervously. Zoro looked at them.

"Luffy-" he started.

"I've been invited to become a Shichibukai! Shishishishi!" Luffy interrupted. Everyone's jaw dropped on the ground.

"WHAAAAT?!"

* * *

Two days later …

* * *

Somewhere in the New World:

"Gahahahaha! I can't believe this guy!" Shanks laughed loudly and threw a newspaper at the ground.

"Didn't you just complain you had a hangover, Red-Haired?" Dracule Mihawk asked in an annoyed voice.

"I feel much better now, Hawk-Eyes." Shanks replied.

"Of course you do." Hawk-Eyes replied. Shanks nodded.

"So, did _you_ teach him to be so dramatic, Red-Hair?" Mihawk asked.

"I didn't teach him anything. Luffy is crazy enough on his own." Shanks told him. Mihawk looked at him oddly.

"Really? Because that sounds a lot like your handiwork, Red-Haired!" the Shichibukai replied.

"It does?" Shanks asked. Mihawk sighed in annoyance. Shanks just laughed and started drinking from a cup of sake.

"Anyway, your friend Straw Hat has been offered a Shichibukai seat." Mihawk told him. Shanks spat out his sake and looked at his rival in shock. Then he started laughing again.

"Do you think he accepted?" Mihawk interrupted. Shanks looked at him like he grew three heads and continued laughing.

"Gahahahaha! You must be stupid, Hawk-Eyes." He finally replied, after a few moments of laughing and annoying the Shichibukai.

"I don't want to be told that by someone like you, Akagami." Mihawk replied and sighed. "Did you also read the interview?"

"Yes. I think Arabasta loves him right now! He's probably treated like a celebrity there. Gahahahaha!" Shanks told him. "By the way, why do you have a subscription to the Arabasta newspaper, Taka no Me?"

The Shichibukai sighed.

"Didn't I already tell you twice?" he asked. "I visited Alubarna once and slept in a hotel-"

"Oh, right!" Shanks interrupted. "Some bandits caused trouble and interrupted your nap so you beat them and then they gave you the subscription in thanks."

"Exactly." Mihawk replied.

"Now. GIVE ME PEN AND PAPER! I need to write Anchor a letter!" Shanks commanded. Several people groaned.

"Did you have to shout, boss? My head will explode!" one of them complained.

"Gahahahaha! Wimps!"

On the floor next to Shanks was the Arabasta newspaper, with the photo of Luffy, Vivi, the King and Kohza standing next to each-other on the cover along with the photo of Luffy and ensign Tashigi facing each-other with Crocodile on the ground between them. Underneath the two photos it was written in large, bold letters: THE WAR IS OVER! The first four pages of the newspaper dealt exclusively with the the war, detailing the actions of The Rebellion, Royal Army, Crocodile and lastly Vivi and Luffy, who got most of the glory for stopping the war. On the fifth page began the interview:

**_The interview with Monkey D Luffy, the man who stopped the war_**

_Monkey D Luffy, the pirate captain of the Straw Hat pirates, also known as Straw Hat Luffy, is the man who brought princess Nefertari Vivi back to Arabasta and is along with his crew responsible for the end of hostilities in our country. He has personally defeated the ex-Royal Shichibukai responsible for the war, the man we believed was our hero, Sir Crocodile. _

_So tell me, Luffy-san, how does it feel like to be our country's hero?_

_L: Now let me stop you right there. I'm not a hero. Like my crew you don't even know what a hero is. Let's say you have a piece of meat. Pirates will eat the meat, but a hero will take the meat and share it. I WANT ALL THE MEAT! So I can't be a hero, can I?_

_I: Um right, so then how do you explain your selfless actions that helped save Arabasta and many of its citizens?_

_L: For that you should mostly thank Vivi, the princess of Arabasta._

_I: How did you meet the princess anyway?_

_L: At first we were enemies. She actually worked for Crocodile's group, the Ballet Works, or whatever it was …_

_I: Its name was Baroque Works._

_L: Right. She worked for him, trying to find as much information about his group as possible. But, when she found out who the boss was she was targeted by his assassins. I think it was the Mr. 5 pair. Both of them had devil fruits._

_I: So why did you save her?_

_L: For money, first. (laughs) My navigator really loves money, so she thought we'd get a lot of it, if we saved her. I agreed, because money can get you meat._

_I: Right. So what changed?_

_L: Well, after Zoro beat up the two agents and I saved her, she told us about her country and the war and by accident she told us that it was Crocodile's fault._

_I: By accident? The princess revealed his name by accident?_

_L: (laughs) Yep. So then we had no choice but to take her aboard, since we were immediately targeted ourselves. But after a while we became friends and nakama._

_I: So why did you decide to help her save the country other than for being a hero?_

_L: I'm not a hero and my crew are not heroes, because we didn't save the country for the people, or the king, or to stop people from dying or any other heroic reason like that._

_I: Then why did you?_

_L: For her. Vivi. One of our own. She was always sad, always worrying about her country. She rarely ever smiled and I couldn't stand that. _

_I: Y-You did all that to make a friend that you knew for only a few weeks, smile? _

_L: It doesn't matter how much time you know a friend if the friendship is real. And a nakama is more than that. It's family, practically._

_I: If only more pirates would think like that. Now I'd like to ask you how you felt when you were standing between the two armies. Were you scared?_

_L: Not really and I'll tell you why. First of all because I thought it was SOO COOL to be doing that. Second, I knew that most of the soldiers wouldn't fight anymore. And third, I have the coolest devil fruit ever, so I wasn't too worried._

_I: What about Crocodile? Did you feel afraid while facing one of the Shichibukai? More importantly, how did you beat him, especially since he has a powerful logia devil fruit ability?_

_L: I wasn't scared, since I knew what I was facing and how to win. Sir Crocodile has the Logia devil fruit Suna Suna no Mi, which is powerful, but has a major weakness, which is water. So, by making him wet, I was able to weaken him and defeat him. Without it, I would probably be defeated pretty easily, since I don't really know how to even fight Logia devil fruit users in general. But using the water and Crocodile's own overconfidence against him, I was able to defeat him pretty fast and easy, considering how powerful he is. I still got wounded though, but nothing too serious._

_I: You mentioned you have eaten one of the rare devil fruits? Which one? When did you eat it and is it better than the rest and if it is, why?_

_L: When I was seven, a great pirate came into my village. He had the Gomu Gomu no Mi and I ate it on accident. It literally turned my whole body into rubber. It's not nearly as destructive as many of the other devil fruits, but it's a great devil fruit anyway. I'm often told that my devil fruit is useless or stupid, but those people often have no idea at all of what I can do with it. I wouldn't change it for any other._

_I: So, you put Arabasta under your protection. What exactly do you want in return?_

_L: Nothing. I didn't demand anything, but there are things I expect from this island. Firstly, I expect to be safe here. I don't want any marines chasing me while I'm here. Secondly, I expect a place to stay and supplies whenever I stop here. The king has already promised all of that to us._

_I: Are there any other places under your protection?_

_L: Yes, Conomi Islands in East Blue and Drum Island here on the Grand Line. My home island doesn't need protection though, as it's already under the direct supervision of a trustworthy marine._

_I: What is your relationship with marines in general?_

_L: I never attack first, but marines seem to be exceptionally hostile towards any and all pirates, so I often have no choice but to fight them. I don't hate them for that, but I do find it very annoying. _

_I: What about civilians and other pirates?_

_L: I never attack civilians, but I would attack other pirates if we needed money._

_I: Is there anything you'd like to say to the people of Arabasta?_

_L: You are lucky to have such a king and princess. You rarely see rulers who actually care this much about their people. Actually, not two weeks ago, I've kicked the very hated king Wapol out of the Drum Kingdom._

_I: I see. Is there anything you'd like to say in general?_

_L: Live without regrets. Follow your dream if you have one. And lastly, if you hurt one of my nakama or friends or any island under my protection, you'd better pay for your funeral. _

_I: Thank you, Monkey D Luffy._

_L: No problem._

* * *

Somewhere else in the New World (on the Moby Dick) …

The Moby Dick journeyed towards one of the islands under their protection.

"Like I said, complete wimps, yoi!" Marco announced as he showed the newspaper around. On the front page was the title: _The Straw Hat pirate defeated Shichibukai Crocodile and stopped the war in Arabasta._

"Gurarararara! I have to agree with Marco!" Whitebeard announced with his booming voice.

"POPS! YOU TRAITOR!" Sabo yelled. His captain just laughed louder.

"So this is your little brother, Sabo?" Vista asked as he saw the photo of Luffy facing Tashigi on the front page. Sabo sighed.

"Yeah. That's Luffy." He told them.

"He's pretty cool. Cooler than the other two brothers." Haruta announced in a cold matter-of-fact voice, without any hint of mercy.

"HEY! THAT HURTS!" Sabo yelled at her.

"Hey, Haruta, that's pretty mean!" Jozu told her.

"Ace is probably freaking out right now, yoi!" Marco suggested and laughed some more. Sabo sighed.

"You'd be freaking out too if your little brother did something this crazy!" Sabo told him. Marco chuckled.

"I detect jealousy!" Marco chirped out.

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" Sabo yelled.

"Anyway." Marco continued. "It says here that he's been sent a Shichibukai invitation!"

Sabo's jaw and a few others crashed into the ground.

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING?!" he yelled. "ACE ONLY GOT ONE WHEN HE WAS ALREADY IN THE NEW WORLD!"

"Ah, so you _are_ jealous! Hahaha!" Marco teased.

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!"

* * *

At Navy Headquarters, Marineford (Fleet Admiral's office):

"GAAARP!" Sengoku yelled furiously. The Vice-Admiral crashed through the door, nearly throwing it off the hinges.

"What is it, Sengoku?" he asked.

"It's your damn grandson again, Garp!" Sengoku told him with gritted teeth.

"BWAHAHAHA! What did he do this time?" Garp asked him, amused.

"Not only did he defeat Crocodile-" The Fleet Admiral started.

"BWAHAHAHA! That's my grandson!" Garp interjected.

" … and stopped the war-" he continued in irritation.

"So, my grandson is not only strong, but cool too!" Garp interrupted again with a smirk on his face. Sengoku gritted his teeth in annoyance at his friends' antics.

" … and made sure that every single person in the world now knows that a Warlord has been defeated, but-" he continued.

"So, I don't see the problem!" Garp interrupted.

"GARP! JUST SHUT UP!" Sengoku yelled again and sighed. "He also just _had to_ refuse the Shichibukai position!"

"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"SHUT UP!" Sengoku shouted and punched the roaring Vice-Admiral on the head. "Just look at this! He even dared to insult and threaten us in his reply!"

The Fleet Admiral threw a piece of paper at his friend. Garp caught it and started reading. He started laughing at the first sentence.

_To: Navy HQ and the World Government_

_Hi, Seagull-ossan and the rest of you jerks,_

_I've become a pirate because of two reasons and those are: my freedom and my dream. If I accepted your stupid little title offer, I'd lose both. Plus any respect I may have gained. _

_While I am flattered that the Government thinks I'm dangerous, I can assure you that I have no intention of attacking any of government or civilian ships and I certainly don't intend on raiding any government-owned or protected islands. But, since that doesn't matter to you and you want to kill me anyway for flying a pirate flag and beating up those two marine officers who were corrupt anyway as well as beating up pirates (which was supposed to be your job, Seagull-ossan), so I thought I'd give you a little warning in advance: I'll tolerate any attacks on the Straw Hat pirates as a whole, since that's your job (which you suck at by the way), but should any member of our group be targeted individually or should any of our islands be threatened, we will respond._

_I hope you find the replacement Shichibukai soon,_

_Monkey D Luffy_

_(future pirate king)_

_P.S.: Say hi to gramps! _

"Seagull-ossan?! BWAHAHAHA!"

"GAAAARP!"

* * *

Somewhere in Paradise:

Ace was on his tiny little boat and was heading to the next island, when a News Coo bird dropped above him and offered him a newspaper. Ace stopped his boat and gave the bird money and took one of the newspapers. Upon seeing the headline, he blinked a few times to confirm what he was seeing. Then his eyes travelled to the large picture of Luffy, Tashigi and Crocodile. Finally he looked below the picture and noticed the writing: _About the war of Arabasta, Crocodile's involvement and Straw Hat Luffy, who stopped the two warring factions by standing between them. _

His jaw finally crashed into the boat.

* * *

Two days later …

* * *

A royal guard entered the Straw Hat pirates room.

"Someone is requesting to talk to you. He said his name is Bon-chan." He told them. In his hand he carried a silver platter with a Den Den Mushi. Luffy immediately took it.

"Moosh Moosh! Hello? Gaaahahahaha! It's me! It's meeee! Gaaaahahahaha!" a voice asked.

Robin's eyes widened.

'Why is Mr. 2 Bon Clay calling us?' she thought.

"Oh, it's you!" Luffy said. "What do you want?"

"Ara, it's this the voice of Mugi-chan?" Bentham asked. "You're so stroooong! I was so surprised! You beat Zero-chan! Oh, yes, yes, don't go calling me Mr. 2! If the marines find about this, I'll be in super big trouble!"

"He just said it himself!" Chopper yelled.

"Just spit it out!" commanded Zoro.

"Oh right! I took your little ship!" Mr. 2 announced.

"WHAAAT?!" everyone yelled with shark teeth.

"Asshole, that's not funny!" said Usopp. "Where are you now?!"

"I'm on your booooaaaat!" Bon Clay replied.

"Damn it," Sanji cursed. "Of all the annoying bastards-"

"You've got it all wrong! All wrong!" Bentham interrupted. "Aren't we friends? Gaaahahaha! Gaaaahahaha!"

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

" … So that's why we're leaving." Luffy finished. He turned to Vivi, who stared at him, saddened by the news.

"Hey, everyone." She asked. "What should I do?"

"Listen, Vivi!" Nami told her. "We'll give you twelve hours to think about it. After we take our ship back on the Sandora river, then exactly at noon tomorrow, we'll swing the ship past the eastern harbor once. We won't be able to drop anchor, so that'll be your only chance if you decide to continue adventuring with us. If so, we'll celebrate. Like pirates."

"You're the princess of this kingdom, so this is the best invitation we can give you." Sanji told her.

"Why do you even have to leave already, everyone?" Vivi asked them. "Father has forbidden chasing you guys in the kingdom!"

"But marines can still stop us on the sea." Zoro told her. "They don't exactly have to follow the king's commands on the ocean. And they won't. They'll try to get the ship."

Luffy nodded. Nami's eyes twitched.

"That's all because this guy-" she said in an irritated voice and bonked Luffy on the head. "Refused the Shichibukai position. Moron."

"Sorry, Nami." Luffy told her. "But I don't want to take orders from anyone."

Then Robin approached Vivi.

"Princess-san, I wanted to apologize." Robin started and bowed her head. "I've caused you a lot of grief as Crocodile's partner."

Vivi smiled.

"I've already forgiven you, Robin-san. You did help us in the end." She told her and Robin looked at her in shock.

"But-" Robin started.

"It's okay." Vivi interrupted.

"Come with us, Vivi!" Luffy yelled.

And then they left.

* * *

A few minutes later Igaram came running into the room, with two wanted posters. They fell on the floor as he noticed the pirates were already gone.

_Roronoa Zoro_

_WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE_

_60.000.000 Berry_

… and …

_Monkey D Luffy_

_WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE_

_160.000.000 Berry_

* * *

_Hey guys! First of all I have to apologize for not writing a chapter yesterday, since I had my annual Monday killer headache and I only succeeded in writing a bit of this chapter before I became unable to handle it. Seriously. Killer headache. _

_Also, this chapter seemed kinda slow. For some reason I'm not too happy with it either. I hope you are. Also, if you'd like more reactions, please write the people you'd like to see reactions from and I'll maybe put them in one of the next two chapters._

_Why did Luffy get an invitation to be one of the Shichibukai? Well, he defeated one, so he proved his strength and also he had a great first bounty. But he wouldn't get it for just that. The reason they were so quick to sent one or send one at all was because they couldn't cover the thing up and say Smoker did it. So they thought it'd be great if the one who defeated him became the next Shichibukai. Also, Luffy was already considered a hero in Arabasta and his reputation increased overnight._

_Also, how did you like the interview? Was it good, okay, bad? _

_Did you like Luffy's reply to the navy? _

_What do you think of Luffy's bounty? I thought that since his first one was already high, he seemed relatively undamaged after beating Crocodile, he stopped the war and claimed Arabasta, the bounty of 160.000.000 Berry would be appropriate. Someone suggested 250.000.000 Berry, but that's way too much way too soon IMHO. The reason why it isn't higher is because nobody knows Luffy simply used haki instead of water like he told everyone. Also, Luffy said Crocodile was overconfident, which was also a lie. Crocodile doesn't give a shit though, so he won't bother to correct them. Also, literally nobody knows how powerful Luffy really is. They (the Government) think he's a powerful rookie on the rise, not a Yonkou class pirate or even just a super rookie._

_Also, did I get you with the title? Admit it! _

_Thanks for reading the longest chapter (for now) in this fanfiction. Please review, but don't be too mean today. :D I already feel bad enough about this chapter and worst of all ... I have no idea why. :D_


	32. Goodbyes

**32. Goodbyes**

"I WAS WAITING FOR YOU GUYS!" Bon Clay yelled from the crow's nest. "HOW LOVELY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

"BON-CHAN!" Luffy yelled, but the rest completely ignored the poor agent.

"Alright, we made it!" Zoro announced.

"Yosh, unload our stuff." Sanji said. "Thank you a lot, guys!"

"This is farewell to you as well!" Usopp told the ducks.

"Take care while going home!" Zoro told them.

"Say hi to the king and Rolls-ossan!" Luffy yelled.

"Stay well!" Chopper yelled and everyone waved at them and the ducks waved back.

"SOME DAY, SOME DAY LET US MEET AGAIN!" Bon Clay yelled and waved with tears in his eyes (for some reason).

"WAIT A MINUTE!" he then yelled as he realized they all totally ignored him (except Luffy). "WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE IS THAT TOWARDS YOUR FRIEND!?"

"Are we still friends, Bon-chan?" Luffy asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Of course we are, Mugi-chan!" Bon Clay told him.

"But you tricked us!" Usopp yelled. Mr.2 shook his head.

"I did NOT trick you!" he replied. "I didn't know either. But really, that's all in the past now! Baroque works has crumbled. We aren't enemies anymore!"

But then he noticed Robin, who stood by herself and looked at him.

"M-M-Miss AllSunday?! What're you doing here?" he asked panicked.

"Calm down, Bon-chan!" Luffy interrupted. "Her real name is Nico Robin. She joined our crew!"

"Really?!" he asked. Everyone nodded.

"Oh, that is so wonderful!" he yelled with tears in his eyes. "So even between enemies such wonderful friendship can bloom!"

"You're an enemy too, shithead!" Sanji yelled at him.

"Such harsh words for your friend!" Bon Clay replied and covered his face with his hands, as if he was going to burst into tears again. "Look, if I didn't take your ship, what do you think would have happened to it?!"

"Marines might have taken it!" Nami replied. Bon Clay shook his head.

"NOT MIGHT HAVE TAKEN IT!" he yelled. "Marines would definitely have taken it. This island is totally blockaded by marine ships! Totally blockaded! Even if the king forbids the navy from pursuing you inside the country, … oh nice interview, by the way, Mugi-chan-"

"Thanks." Luffy interjected.

"They don't care about the king's rules here on the sea!" Bon Clay finished.

"BON-CHAN! YOU SAVED MERRY!" Luffy yelled and jumped on the ship and hugged him. Both had teary eyes.

"So you still see my as your friend, Mugi-chan?" Bon Clay asked.

"Friend?!" Usopp and Chopper asked.

In about a minute, all four of them were dancing while yelling: "STOP JOKING AROUND!"

"Oi, Mr.2! With the marines blockading our ship, that means you also couldn't escape. And so, you're using us to escape safely?" Zoro asked.

He hit his head on the ship and fell on the ground.

"BON-CHAN!" the silly trio yelled.

"That's right!" Bon Clay admitted. "Because we need each-other! It's because of the horrible times we live in! IN THE NAME OF SACRED FRIENDSHIP, LET'S COMBINE OUR FORCES AND FIGHT TOGETHER AS ONE!"

"YEAH!" Usopp and Chopper yelled. Luffy just smiled.

'It may not seem that way yet, but you're a true friend, Bon-chan.' He thought.

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

After exiting the Sandora River, the Going Merry and Swanda Express were immediately under fire.

"FIRE, FIRE!" Someone yelled from a marine ship. Several iron spears flew towards the Going Merry. For some reason they didn't fire at all at the Swanda. Maybe they didn't think they were enemies, or they simply prioritized the Straw Hat ship, but in any case, all the iron spears went to the poor Merry.

Luffy jumped on the figurehead of the ship. He pulled out his sword. He slashed from one side to the other, but with that he only stopped the front attacks. The ship was still hit with several spears from the other sides. Zoro and Sanji somehow repelled some attacks from the left, but the rest were unprotected. A few of them just bounced off the hull, but half of them hit.

"OI! There's no way I can patch up this many holes!" Chopper yelled from the men's quarters. Robin helped him by handing him planks with her hands and

"Do something, guys!" Nami yelled.

"We can only protect two sides!" Sanji responded. "Eight ships are too much!"

Usopp then aimed the cannon on the deck and fired it. It hit one of the marine ships and the mast and the rest of the ship collapsed on the ship next to it, sinking them both.

"Usopp!" Luffy yelled. "GREAT AIM!"

The sharpshooter just kept gawking at his handiwork, but then he snapped out of it.

"YOSH! JUST LIKE I CALCULATED!" he finally yelled. "That's what I can do when you rely on me!"

'That's why I chose you, Usopp.' Luffy thought and smiled.

"Nice aim, Nose-chan!" Bon-Clay complimented.

"You did good, Long Nose-kun!" Robin added.

"Now that those ships are gone, full speed in that direction!" Bon Clay yelled.

"BON CLAY-SAMA, A PROBLEM!" one of his men yelled from the Swanda. "IT'S THE BLACK CAGE!"

Mr. 2 seemed to panic momentarily.

"Black Cage Hina is the marine HQ captain, who patrols this part of the sea." Robin told everyone.

"THAT'S NOT GOOD!" Mr.2 yelled. "WE NEED TO GET AWAY FAST!"

His men prepared to get away, but the Straw Hats showed no indication of wanting to do that.

"What are you guys doing?!" Mr. 2 yelled at them.

"If you want to go, just go. We can't." Luffy told him. The men on the Swanda just begged Bon Clay to escape on their own.

"We made a promise to be at the eastern harbor at noon." Nami told him. "There's no time left. We need to press forward."

"Really, that's the silliest thing I've ever heard, guys! What possible treasure could it be worth your life?" Mr. 2 yelled in panic.

"We're going to see a nakama." Luffy answered him.

Bon Clay seemed struck deep by those words. Immediately upon hearing them he declared that he and his men will divert the navy's attention. The Swanda left the Straw Hat pirates and headed south. The navy ships soon followed them.

'Sorry, Bon-chan. If we somehow got near enough for me to cut up all those ships, this wouldn't be necessary, but there's no way to do that without completely destroying the Going Merry.' Luffy thought. 'Since attacking Impel down is inevitable now, I guess I'll see you soon.'

The Straw Hat pirates watched in shock and half of them cried as they saw the Swanda getting destroyed by the iron spears, while they were escaping.

"BON-CHAN!" Luffy yelled. He swore he could hear his friend yelling 'Okama way' in the distance. 'You're always so quick to sacrifice yourself for a friend.'

'Mr. 2.' thought Robin. 'I never thought … '

Upon reaching the agreed meeting place, they immediately heard Vivi's voice through the speakers.

"So Princess-san isn't coming?" Robin asked.

"Guess not." Zoro replied to her, even though it wasn't really a question. Everyone looked sad. Robin's eyes glanced at the captain.

'He looks disappointed, but not really surprised.' She thought to herself. They started slowly sailing away.

"EVERYONE!" someone yelled. They immediately turned around.

"VIVI! CARUE!" everyone yelled and waved at them. They waved back. She took the Den Den Mushi.

"I WANT TO HAVE MORE ADVENTURES." Vivi spoke through the Den Den Mushi. "I WANT TO, BUT I CAN'T, BECAUSE … I LOVE MY COUNTRY!"

"BUT I WONDER, IF WE MEET AGAIN … "she continued. "WILL YOU STILL CALL ME NAKAMA?"

After hearing this, the straw hat members wordlessly lifted their left hands, with an X written on each of them.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_" … So we learned that the enemy has the ability to mimic our looks! But we shouldn't be scared! This gives us an advantage! … "_

_" … Let this mark show that we'll always be nakama … "_

_" … With this we don't need to doubt our nakama! … "_

* * *

Vivi cried as the Straw Hats departed.

* * *

_So, this is a relatively short chapter, but you'll (probably, won't guarantee it, but probably) get another, hopefully longer one today. This was an annoying one to write, since it was important but I had to mostly repeat stuff. The next one will be better though. _

_Why didn't Luffy just take out all the ships with his Akainami? Well, the ships were far away and the wave wouldn't last that long and would lose its strength. Plus, Luffy can't really aim all that well. He did use them on the two ships that they had to get past (which I didn't really describe, but whatever). Also, Merry was pretty battered and it wouldn't take long to destroy it._


	33. Night talk (or very early morning talk)

**33. Night talk (or very early morning talk)**

"EVERYONE, WAKE UP!" Luffy yelled. The other inhabitants of the Going Merry groaned in annoyance.

"WAKE UP, NOW!" he yelled once again.

"What is it, stupid shithead?!" Sanji yelled at him. "Why are you waking us in the middle of the night?!"

"It's not night, Sanji. It's morning." Luffy replied.

"It's still dark." Usopp muttered.

"Can't you let us sleep?!" Zoro yelled at him.

"WHY ARE YOU YELLING, MORONS!?" Nami shouted from the women's quarters.

"Well, I want everyone awake!" Luffy replied. Her eye twitched (not that you could see that from the other side of the wall, but anyway).

"WHY?!" she yelled. Usopp covered his head with his pillow.

"Well, I couldn't sleep … "Luffy began.

"THAT'S WHY YOU WOKE US UP, SHITHEAD?!" Sanji yelled at him. Luffy shook his head.

"We need to talk about your training too. And your battles in Arabasta." The captain replied. "Also, Robin and Chopper were already up."

"Luffy, Chopper is on guard duty and Robin is just weird." Zoro told him with an annoyed expression.

"Well, anyway-"

"DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Zoro yelled at him with shark teeth.

"Shishishi, sorry, sorry!" Luffy apologized insincerely. "Anyway, I also got a message from my friend Shanks. Check this out!"

That piqued their interest, so they finally got up and went towards him. He handed them the note:

_To: Monkey D Luffy_

_From: Red-Haired Shanks_

_Hey Anchor!_

_Me and the guys heard about what you did in Arabasta. And you're right, that was cool! Anyway, we wanted to hear from you and since I never gave you the Den Den Mushi number, here it is. Hope you have one of those snails aboard. _

_Call us soon!_

_Shanks_

"Y-Y-Yonkou Red-Haired Shanks?!" Usopp stuttered. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishi, that's him! That's Shanks!" he told them. They stared at him.

"HEY, NAMI! COME TO THE DECK!" Luffy yelled. She groaned in annoyance.

"FINE!" she shouted.

Everyone made their way to the deck to find Robin sitting on a chair next to the mast with a book on her lap.

"So what did you want from us, Captain-san?" she asked. He smiled.

"We're going to call Shanks! Shishishi!" he chirped out. Her eyes widened. Then he ran towards the kitchen and soon came back with the Den Den Mushi that the king had given him.

He sat down on the ground. He checked to see if everyone was there and it turned out there was (except Chopper who was on the Crow's nest).

He dialed the number.

"Moosh Moosh!" Luffy yelled into the snail phone.

"Hey, is that you Luffy?" a sleepy sounding voice asked.

"Yep, that's me, Ben!" Luffy replied cheerfully.

"Excuse me, Captain-san." Robin asked. "But is that Ben Beckmann?"

"Yep." The voice replied. "*yaaaawn* that's me! Why are you calling so early, Luffy?"

"Well, I couldn't sleep and I was bored." Luffy replied. Ben sighed.

"Honestly, you're just as bad as the captain." He replied. "Want to talk to him and the guys?"

"Yep." Luffy replied. Ben sighed. There was silence for a moment and then …

"OI, GUYS! WAKE UP!" Ben shouted. They could hear annoyed and sleepy groans.

"WHY ARE SHOUTING, BEN!?" someone whined loudly.

'That sounds just like Luffy.' Several of the Straw hats thought.

"LUFFY'S CALLING!" Ben told them. They started talking amongst themselves.

"Luffy? Did he say Luffy?! … "

" … Ancor's calling? … "

" … that scary kid?! … "

But everyone was interrupted by a loud crash.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk! I know you're excited captain, but you should really watch where you're going!" Ben scolded. Then there was a little more commotion as some of the other members made their way to the First mate. Then someone picked up the Den Den Mushi.

"Hey Anchor! *yaaawn*" a different sleepy sounding voice greeted.

"Hey Shanks!" Luffy greeted cheerfully.

'That's Red-Haired Shanks!' Nami thought. 'First Whitebeard and now Red-Haired!?'

"Why did you have call so early, Anchor?" Shanks whined. "It's like five in the morning!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT, JERK!" Luffy shouted. The Straw Hats cringed upon hearing that, but to their surprise, Shanks laughed.

"Gahahahaha! Sorry!" he apologized insincerely.

'He's exactly like Luffy!' Zoro thought.

"It's just so tempting to call you that." Shanks continued. "Since you always sink in the sea. Like the little anchor you are. Gahahaha!"

"SO DOES WHITEBEARD!" Luffy shouted at him and then sighed. "Stupid jerk."

Shanks laughed.

"I guess that's right." He replied after a few moments.

"Hey, Luffy!" A few other voices greeted.

'It seems Captain-san is pretty popular on that ship.' Robin thought to herself.

"Hey guys!" Luffy greeted back.

"So, Luffy." Shanks started again. "We heard what happened in Arabasta. Hawk-Eyes even showed me the interview."

'Hawk-eyes?!' Zoro thought.

"Shishishi! So what do you think?" Luffy asked him.

"It was really cool! Standing between two armies and telling them you'd beat them up! Gahahahaha!" he continued.

'I can't believe it.' Usopp thought. 'He's the same as Luffy.'

"Shishishi! I know, right?!" Luffy replied. "Oh, by the way, I talked to Whitebeard a few days ago!"

There was silence for a few moments.

"Really?" Shanks asked. "And? Does he like you?"

"No idea. Marco seems to like me though." Luffy replied.

"Really?!" Shanks whined. "He doesn't like me! He's always mean to me!"

"Ah, that reminds me!" Luffy told him. "Thatch survived!"

There was silence again for a few moments.

"R-Really?!" Shanks asked. "Hmmm, now that's surprising!"

"But Whitebeard told me not to pursue Blackbeard." Luffy told him in a resigned sounding voice.

"Hmmm. Then you should listen to him. You don't want to upset Whitebeard himself, do you?" Shanks replied.

"I don't care if he's the strongest, but he is Ace's captain." Luffy answered and sighed.

"Well, you can always attack Impel Down if Ace gets taken." Shanks replied.

"WHAAAAT?!"

"Oh, I'll do that." Luffy told him.

"WHAAAAAAAAT?!"

'They're talking about assaulting Impel Down like it's a normal thing!' everyone thought.

"Anyway, where are you now, Luffy?" Shanks asked.

"Oh, we've left Arabasta two days ago and now we're heading to the next island." Luffy told him.

"Ah, Sky Island then. Should be fun!"Shanks replied. "Oh, by the way, a few years ago your brothers came to thank me for saving your life, Luffy!"

"They did?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah. But I didn't save your life, Luffy! I don't want to take credit for things I didn't do!" Shanks whined.

"Shishishi! Sorry." Luffy apologized. "But I didn't want them to know what really happened."

"So what did really happen?" Zoro asked.

"Hey, don't interrupt two captains talking!" Shanks whined. Luffy sighed.

"I was going to say that. Jerk." He replied.

"Anchor got attacked by bandits when he was seven and he beat them all up!" Shanks told them.

'When he was seven?!' everyone thought.

Luffy laughed sheepishly.

"Yeah, but there were only like twenty of them and the leader only had an 8.000.000 Berry bounty!" he replied.

"YOU WERE SEVEN!" everyone yelled at him.

"Shishishishi! Anyway, is Yasopp there with you? I have his son in my crew now!"Luffy told them.

'Dad?!' Usopp thought.

"Is it true!?" someone yelled and there was some commotion. Presumably the Red-Haired sniper pulled the Den Den Mushi from his captain's hands. "Usopp, are you there?"

Luffy then made room for Usopp and allowed him to talk to his father. Usopp told him about his mother dying and they shed some tears and after that Usopp told him about all their adventures, to which even the rest of them listened intently (both crews).

Luffy sighed. Zoro saw that and put his hand on his shoulder again.

"Still thinking about your dad?" he asked. Luffy nodded.

"Hey give me back Anchor!" Shanks yelled after a few minutes. Luffy made his way to the Snail phone again.

"So, Anchor, did _you_ meet your father?" he asked him. Luffy sighed.

"Yep." He replied.

"You don't sound too happy about it." Shanks concluded after a few moments of silence.

"I was a jerk." Luffy said simply.

"Oh, don't worry about it too much, Luffy!" Shanks replied. "If he cares about you, he'll try again. If not, then he probably deserves what you said. Whatever it was."

Luffy sighed.

"I guess so." He replied after a few moments.

"So, I guess that's it for now, Luffy. Call us again soon! And we'll see you in the New World someday!" Shanks told him. Luffy smiled.

"Yeah. And since you can't stop calling me Anchor, I'll have to beat you up!" Luffy replied.

"Gahahahahaha! Bye, Luffy!" told him.

"See you soon, Shanks!" Luffy replied and hung up. As soon as he did, Nami came up to him and bonked him on the head. Which did nothing of course, but Luffy still whined.

"What was that for?!" Luffy asked.

"WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TALK TO HIM THAT WAY?!" Nami yelled at him.

Luffy sighed.

"Nami, Shanks and his crew are my friends. They really don't mind."

There was silence for a few moments and then …

"OK! Now everyone tell me how your battles in Arabasta went and what you can do now!" Luffy yelled out, startling them from the peaceful silence. "Zoro, you go first!"

"Ahem. Well I fought Mr. 1." Zoro started. "He had a devil fruit that allowed him to turn his body parts into steel blades. I got pretty beaten up, but in the end I was able to cut him and now I can cut steel!"

"That's good!" Luffy replied. "You'll soon be able to use flying blade attacks then!"

"There are swordsmen in this world who can cut nothing. Right? That's the point?" Zoro told him. Luffy grinned and nodded. The rest of the Straw hats were confused however, but before anyone could ask anything, Luffy motioned for Sanji to start.

"Well, I fought Mr. 2." Sanji started. "He had the Mane Mane no Mi and he used some weird ballet kicking technique. I think I was stronger than him, but he tricked me a few times and used those swans on his back for fighting, so we were pretty even."

"Well, it's good training. Bon-chan did seem tough." Luffy replied. "Nami?"

"Me?" Nami asked. "Um, I fought Mrs. Doublefinger using this new weapon Usopp gave me."

She showed her climatact.

"Like you suggested, Luffy, I tested it out first, so I didn't have too much trouble using it in battle. She did have a horrible devil fruit, so she wounded me a lot." Nami finished. Luffy nodded.

"Still, if you used the weapon for the first time in battle, you'd probably be much worse off." Luffy told her. She sighed.

"Can't argue with that!" she admitted.

"Chopper?" Luffy asked.

"Me and Usopp fought together." Chopper told him. "We fought Mr. 4 and Miss Merry Christmas I think. We got pretty beaten up."

He looked down on the ground.

"Hey!" Luffy told them. "Everyone else got beaten up, so don't be ashamed. You're the ones who won after all!"

Usopp and Chopper raised their heads.

"Well," Chopper continued. "The woman had this weird Mole devil fruit and the man was really big and tough. They also had this gun that they said had eaten a Dog devil fruit."

"WHAAAAT?!" everyone else (except Luffy) yelled. Luffy just nodded.

"Stuff like that is possible here on the Grand-line. I heard of cannon that had eaten a Sheep devil fruit." He told them. They looked at him surprised.

"Robin, tell us what you can do!" Luffy then said. She looked at him, a bit startled by being included, but nodded nonetheless.

"I have eaten the Hana Hana no Mi." she started. "I can sprout my body parts anywhere where I can see, but close nearby I can do that even in places that I can't see. I can sprout many different body parts, but I mostly use hands and sometimes eyes, ears or legs."

"COOL!" Usopp and Chopper beamed. She just laughed.

"What about you, Captain-san, would you mind telling us about your battle and abilities?!" she asked after a few moments. "I couldn't help but notice that you were able to defeat Crocodile pretty easily if I may say so."

Luffy looked at her for a moment and then nodded.

"I can do that. Some of you already know much about that, but I can repeat it." He said. "First, I've eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi. It turned my body to rubber. I can take all blunt hits, unless they are very strong or haki-infused. Now, most devil fruits become ineffective when the user is affected by seastone, but my body is always rubber. I never need to activate my ability."

Everyone nodded.

"I'm also a master of all three forms of haki, observation, armament and intimidation. Those allow me to sense the presence of people, their attacks, surround body parts with invisible or visible haki armor, overpower the will of others and other things. Haki makes me a lot stronger and harder to fight." Luffy concluded.

"But how were you able to even touch Crocodile?" Robin asked. "And why did you say that you used water to the newspaper?"

"With Armament Haki. It allows you to bypass devil fruit defences and touch a logia's body directly. Or in my case, punch it." Luffy replied.

"But why did you lie, Captain-san?" Robin asked. Luffy sighed.

"I want to appear weaker than I am and saying I have haki would betray my strength, since haki users are usually very tough." Luffy answered. "Ah, right! Robin, you'll have to start training haki too!"

She looked at him oddly.

"I don't feel like explaining everything again, so ask them." Luffy told her. "I'm sure Sanji wouldn't mind telling you everything I've said about haki."

She looked at Sanji.

"Sure, Robin-chwan! It's no problem at all, my dear!"

"Any more questions?" he asked and looked at everyone. Nobody said anything. He sighed.

"Now I'm bored again.

* * *

_Ah, the second chapter of today is done. Luffy talks with Shanks and later with his crew about their battles, since he wasn't there to watch them. Don't really know what to comment on here. If you want to ask anything, please do._

_Thanks for reading and please review. Next time, probably Mock Town. Hopefully. Now I'm off to watch some Gintama. _

_P.S.: Oh, why didn't I write the actual dialogue between Usopp and Yassop? I have to admit I have no excuse. I simply didn't feel like it. :( Sorry._

* * *

If you like my story and want to make me happy, then click this link (hopefully in massively overwhelming numbers :D ): adf(replace this with dot)ly/6qkpw


	34. The island in the sky

**34. The island in the sky**

"OH CRAP!" Sanji yelled. Everyone looked up and saw a gigantic ship falling down from the sky.

"I knew that wasn't rain!" he yelled. "Quickly, move the ship away!"

What was falling down on them wasn't rain, unless you count ancient bits of wood as rain. The Strawhats made sure the ship wasn't hit and then stared confused at the sinking ship.

"Ah, that must have fallen from the Sky Island!" Luffy told everyone cheerfully.

"WHAAAT?!"

"I agree with Captain-san!" Robin replied. "Altrough to be precise what is floating up there is a sea."

"A sea?!" Several of the Straw hats questioned. Luffy nodded.

"There is a sky sea over there and an island on it!" he told them.

"This is hard to take in!" Sanji replied.

"But the Log-pose is pointing up, isn't it?" Robin asked. Nami looked at her and nodded.

"To tell the truth, I've never been on a sky island. I don't know much about it." Robin told her then.

"Of course not!" Nami yelled. "It's impossible! Islands in the sky! The Log-pose must bo broken!"

"I wouldn't say that, Navigator-san." Robin replied. "What you should be thinking now is not how to repair that Log-pose, but rather how to get to the sky."

Nami looked at her in bewilderment.

"If the Log-pose points somewhere, you'll find an island there. The Log-pose is the only thing you can rely on completely. If there is a conflict between the Log-pose and your common sense, common sense loses one hundred percent of the time!" she continued.

"But-" Nami began.

"Nami!" Luffy interrupted. She looked at him. "Shanks was on the Sky island up there. It definitely exists. Weren't you listening this morning?"

Everyone looked at him.

"Shanks was up there once." He continued. "With his old captain, Gold Roger. So it definitely exists."

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"So it's true?" Robin asked. "The pirate king was the captain of Red-Haired Shanks?"

Luffy nodded.

"Yes. But Shanks was only a cabin boy at the time." He told them.

In the next few minutes, Robin proceeded to put back together the skeleton that had fallen on the Going Merry (and scared the crap out of the weakling trio), while Usopp and Luffy jumped on the rapidly sinking ship and explored it. When they returned, Luffy jumped on the middle of the ship and opened a large paper.

"Skypea?" Nami read and took the map from his hands. Luffy, Usopp and Chopper proceeded to celebrate, which annoyed her.

"Hey now, it's only a possibility! The world is full of fake maps, you know!" she told them. This ruined Chopper's and Usopp's mood, but Luffy was unaffected.

"HEY! Are you saying Shanks is a liar? Shanks said he was up there, so it must exist!" Luffy told her.

"Maybe he was drunk and he imagined it!" Nami replied. Luffy shook his head.

"A true pirate only drinks after the adventure!" he declared and raised his fist in the air. "ADVENTURE!"

"Yeah, but how are we going to get up there?" Nami asked with a growing twitch.

"We'll figure something out." He replied.

After arguing for a few minutes, the monster trio was put into some kind of weird diving suits made of barrels. They dived.

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

Someone crashed through the door.

"JUST WHO ARE YOU?!" Masira yelled. "Are you trying to muscle in on my turf?"

The three looked at him.

"Oh, a monkey!" Luffy announced. Masira stared at him for a moment and then … blushed.

"Do I really look that monkeyed over?" he asked.

"Yeah, just like a monkey." Luffy replied.

"What kind of conversation is that?" Zoro asked with a sweatdrop.

"By the way, who are you?" Sanji asked.

"Oh, how careless of me!" Masira replied. "But do you really think so? You really have an eye for quality!"

"Hey, we asked who you are." Zoro asked in annoyance. Something crashed, but the four ignored it completely.

"I'm Masira!" the monkey announced. "I'm the salvage king!"

"Really?!" Luffy asked with stars in his eyes. The other two sweat-dropped.

"I'm Luffy and those are Zoro and Sanji!" Luffy announced and pointed at each of them. "We've come here from East Blue!"

"Great to meet you!" Masira replied and laughed. "So, you guys are from East Blue!"

"Tha's right!" Luffy confirmed and laughed. "But man, you really look like a monkey!"

"Oh, you're just saying that!" Masira told him.

"Oh, by the way, Monkey-san!" Luffy asked. Masira's eyes lightened up from the 'praise'. "We'd like to get to the Sky island! Do you know how to get there?"

Masira thought for a moment and then nodded.

"I do! Well I don't, but Cricket-san does! We could go there together!" he announced.

"YAHOOO!" Luffy shouted and raised both of his hands in the air.

"Ah, by the way! What's in those bags there?" Masira asked and pointed at the three bags by the straw hats feet.

"Ah, the stuff we found on the ship!" Luffy replied. "Want to see?"

"You've been taking stuff from the ship?" Masira asked in a cold, angry voice. Luffy nodded and showed him what was in the bag.

"But you can have it, if you'll really help us." Luffy told him and his anger disappeared instantly. "But please let me keep this awesome armor!"

Luffy pointed at a rusty suit of armor and sword.

"You know, that's probably worth the most!" Masira told him. Luffy pouted.

"But I want to wear it! Isn't it part of every man's romance to one day wear a suit of armor?" he asked. Masira looked struck by his words.

" … Man's romance?" he repeated. Luffy nodded.

"I can't go in the way of a man's romance!" Masira replied. "Keep the armor."

Both of the other straw hats sweat-dropped.

'Man's romance?!'

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

Luffy walked around in his rusty suit of armor. Masira stood on the railing of the Going Merry.

"So you'll help us get there?" Nami asked. Masira nodded.

"I must always help a fellow dreamer!" he replied and raised his chest. "Just follow my ship and we'll get you to Jaya, where Montblanc Cricket lives!"

"But first, we must get some supplies. Is there a town around?" Nami asked. Her eye twitched as Luffy walked past her in armor.

"There's Mock Town. We can stop there." Masira told her.

"YOSH! Let's go to Jaya!" Luffy announced and raised the sword high. Masira jumped on his own ship.

"WHY ARE YOU WEARING THAT?!" Nami yelled. Luffy raised his vizor.

"Because it's cool!" Luffy replied. Her eyes darkened.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled and punched him. The armor was already weak and shattered on contact.

Luffy angrily pushed the remains of the armor off.

"LET'S GO TO THE STUPID TOWN ALREADY, JERKS!" Luffy shouted. Every straw hat on board cringed at this. Except Robin, who quirked an eyebrow.

'Oh shit … ' Thought Usopp. 'This is bad.'

'Guess lack of sleep isn't the only way for Luffy to get in bad mood.' Thought Sanji.

Zoro smirked. 'Now the witch will think twice before randomly punching people.'

Luffy stomped off towards the figurehead and sat down on it. They followed Masira's ship.

"Um, what was that if I may ask?" Robin asked the others after a few moments. "And why is everyone so nervous?"

"W-W-Well, Luffy is in a bad mood now." Usopp stuttered. "A-And that's scary."

Chopper nodded. Robin looked at them oddly.

"It's all Nami's fault." Zoro told everyone.

"What was that?" Nami yelled with a twitch in her eye and a punch ready.

"Well, if you wouldn't punch people randomly, we wouldn't have to deal with a pissed off Luffy today." He replied.

"It wasn't random!" she yelled. He shook his head.

"Maybe not, but to him it was." Zoro replied.

"He was being stupid and it irritated me!" Nami yelled.

"He really likes armors. I don't know why, but he does." Zoro told her. "Plus, even if it was, this was the first stupid thing he did today."

"HE WOKE US UP AT 5 IN THE MORNING!" Nami yelled. Zoro sighed.

"You're still on about that?" he asked. She glared at him.

"Well, he-" she began.

"If I may interject, Navigator-san, Swordsman-san!" Robin interrupted. Everyone looked at her. "I agree with Swordsman-san."

Nami's face fell, while Zoro smirked.

"He might have waken you up for a stupid reason, but what he did afterward wasn't stupid at all." Robin told them. "He called Red-Haired Shanks, which was a conversation which I think everyone here was interested in, also he took your battle reports, which is a good thing for a captain to do."

"Did you hear how he talked to him?" Nami asked her. "Are you telling me that's not stupid, Robin?"

Robin shook her head.

"Red-Haired didn't seem to mind. In fact, he even sounded amused by it." She told her. Nami sighed in defeat.

"Why are you even so nervous?" Robin then asked.

"Yosh. I, Captain Usopp will explain everything!" Usopp announced. Everyone except Robin and Chopper groaned in annoyance, while the other two looked at him. One in awe and the other expectantly.

"Luffy is usually in a bad mood when he can't sleep because of nightmares." He started.

"Nightmares?" Robin asked. Usopp nodded.

"Luffy often has nightmares. I don't know what they're about, but he usually keeps calling our names. Even yours, Robin." Usopp replied. She quirked her eyebrow. "If it gets so bad that he can't sleep anymore, he is in a really bad mood the whole day."

He sighed.

"The first time this happened was on Baratie, back in East Blue." Usopp continued. "A pirate named Don Krieg invaded the restaurant. Luffy barely even acknowledged the guy, but when he interrupted his conversation with Hawk-Eyes-"

"Wait, Hawk-Eyes?" Robin asked wide-eyed. Usopp nodded.

"Hawk-Eyes came to the restaurant. He was chasing Krieg from the Grand-line. Zoro challenged him and lost." He told her. She glanced at Zoro, who looked on the ground. "When that happened and we thought Zoro had died, Luffy went mad and fought him for a while. Then, when he saw that he was alive, he calmed down."

Robin looked shocked.

"Wait, Captain-san fought the greatest swordsman in the world?" she asked. Usopp nodded. Zoro looked at her.

"Evenly." He told her.

"E-Excuse me?" she stuttered.

"They fought evenly. Well, Hawk-Eyes wasn't really attacking, but he was taking Luffy seriously. When he fought me, he didn't even use his black blade. When he fought Luffy, he had to." He told her. To say that she was shocked was an understatement.

"Ahem." Sanji interrupted. Everyone looked at him now. "Marimo didn't really see it, but the battle was downright scary."

"H-How so?" Robin asked. He looked at her.

"It was crazy. When their swords hit, it was like an explosion happened." Sanji told them. "The windows in front of Baratie all shattered and all the weaklings were sent flying away. The ground cracked beneath them and the sky parted above them. Like I said, it was insane."

Everyone stared at him in shock.

"It's true. Luffy is insanely strong." Usopp told them. "But, like I was saying, when Krieg interrupted their conversation, Luffy just slashed him with his sword. He's usually so cheerful and playful, but when that guy interrupted him when he was in a bad mood, he cut him. Just like that. Might have even killed him. And then he scared the crap out of everyone else."

"I see." Robin answered. "But isn't the solution to this simple this time?"

Everyone looked at her in confusion.

"Well, Captain-san got mad because of the armor, we should tell him we'll get him one when we can!" Robin told them. Then she stood up.

"Where are you going?" Zoro asked her.

"To Captain-san." She replied. Everyone looked at her in shock.

"But he might yell at you!" Usopp told her. She smiled and waved her hand in dismissal.

She walked up to the figurehead.

"Captain-san." She called.

"Hey, Robin." He asked. "What do you want?"

"So you really like armors." She said. He sighed.

"I've always wanted to wear one." He replied.

"You know, even if Navigator-san hadn't punched it, it would still fall apart soon." She told him.

"I know." He replied. "But I wanted to wear it for as long as I could."

"We could always buy you some armor if you'd like." She suggested. He sighed.

"I don't think there are many armor shops anywhere near here." Luffy answered. She turned to leave.

"But thanks, Robin."

* * *

A Few minutes (or hours, don't really know) later …

* * *

"We're near Mock Town!" Masira yelled from the back of his ship at the Straw hat ship that was following.

Both ships then anchored at the town.

Luffy jumped off the ship and turned around.

"Hey Zoro!" he yelled. "Want to get a drink?!"

Zoro smirked.

"Sure, Captain!" he replied and jumped off.

"Might I also come with you, Captain-san?" Robin asked. Everyone looked at her in confusion (since they didn't expect it), but Luffy just grinned.

"Sure, Robin!" he replied. She went after them.

"Hey guys, no fighting! Don't cause any trouble!" Nami yelled. Luffy turned around shook his head.

"I'll fight if I feel like it!" he answered. He could see Zoro smirk from the corner of his eye.

"What about supplies?!" she yelled. He grinned.

"We'll leave the boring stuff to you guys!" Luffy replied. Robin chuckled in amusement as the navigator started to turn red in anger.

* * *

_Yay. I'm done. And good thing too, since I haven't uploaded a chapter in two days, thanks to some stupid annoying school crap. And now soesn't want to work. Great. _

_So anyway, the Straw hats meet Masira and Luffy, since he knows what he's actually like (from the previous life or whatever) uses that info to his advantage. _

_Then there's some Straw hat bonding. Notice that Luffy's personality is a bit different. He gets mad more easily, like it happened with the armor thing. He's kinda annoyed since he didn't really do anything that he thinks would deserve being punched for (though he doesn't really care about being punched, since he's like a tank, but rather about his armor getting destroyed). Though neither him nor me will drag the armor thing any further, since it's really not that big of a deal._

_Also, I intended to do Mock town today too. But I had to do some more stupid crap today (for my parents though), so I'm really too tired to write anymore. (And mad too, since it looks like I won't be able to upload right now)._

_So, thanks for reading and please review if you will._

_(EDIT: Nope, couldn't upload. This is 9 hours later.)_


	35. Mock town

**35. Mock town**

"There's a lot of different people!" Luffy started as they walked from the harbor of Mock town.

"Seems like a fun little town!" Zoro agreed. Robin nodded.

"This appears to be a pirate town. I'm sure it'll be interesting." She added. Luffy nodded.

"You bet." He replied as they walked past many different pirates. One had a large halberd in his hand. As they walked down the town, Luffy felt several familiar auras. He tensed up.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Zoro asked. Luffy sighed.

"I knew it. As soon as I talked to Whitebeard, I knew what would happen." Luffy lied. They both looked at him oddly, one from each side. Luffy sighed again.

"Blackbeard is in this town. And since I promised, I can't fight him." He told them.

"Excuse me, Captain-san, but what exactly did Blackbeard do?" Robin asked. Luffy looked at her.

"To me, nothing." Luffy replied. "But he nearly killed one of my brothers' nakama. 4th division commander Thatch is still fighting for his life."

Robin looked at him and tried to say something, but something else got Luffy's attention. An old man fell off his horse in front of them.

'One of Blackbeard's nakama.' Thought Luffy.

"Who is that?" Robin asked. Luffy shrugged.

"He fell off." Luffy replied. Even though Luffy hated Blackbeard, his hate didn't really extend all that much to his nakama, since they had nothing to do with neither the betrayal nor Ace's defeat (since they didn't even have haki).

"Yep. Fell right off." Zoro repeated with a sweat drop.

The man on the ground, Doc Q grunted as if in pain. He lifted his head and looked straight at Luffy.

"Hey, good folk." He asked. "Could you help me?"

Zoro and Luffy both sweat-dropped.

"You just don't feel like getting up!" Zoro replied in a deadpanned expression. The man grunted again.

"Luffy, get that side." Zoro said. Luffy nodded and they grabbed Doc Q and threw him on the horse.

"Oh, sorry about that." The man apologized. "I'm back up. I was born with a weak body-"

'Yeah right.' Luffy thought.

"Now let's go, Stronger!" Doc Q commanded to his horse. The horse took a step forward and fell forward on the ground.

"THE HORSE TOO?!" Luffy and Zoro yelled. Robin giggled in the background.

Then the horse somehow picked himself up.

"Forgive me for being such a bother." Doc Q replied and offered a basket full of apples. "I'd like to repay you with those. Would you like one?"

Zoro sweat-dropped.

"Hey, that's way too suspicious. We don't want any! Hurry up and get lost!" He said, but Luffy ignored his words and just went ahead and took one of the apples.

"Ooh, an apple!" Luffy said and took a bite. Just as he did that, something exploded in the background.

"Hey what happened?!" a random man asked.

"Some guys took some apples from some weird guy and as soon as they ate them, all five of them exploded." Another replied.

Zoro and Robin looked at Luffy, who was munching on an apple. He swallowed and then started laughing, much to their bewilderment.

"Shishishishi! It seems I'm really lucky then!" he told the man and ate the rest of the apple. The man laughed.

"Exactly. You picked a dud. Otherwise you'd have died on the first bite." He told them.

They walked past him. Zoro sighed.

"Seriously, Luffy!?" Zoro commented.

"Why did you take the apple, Captain-san? Didn't it seem suspicious to you?" Robin asked. Luffy waved his hand in dismissal.

"I'm higly resistant to poison and an explosion wouldn't have killed me." Luffy told her. She shook her head.

"WHAT ABOUT US?!" Zoro yelled at him.

"Ah, right!" Luffy answered and gained a thoughtful expression. Then he punched his right fist on his left hand. "If an explosion did happen, I'd use Gear Second and punch you away as soon as it happened."

"Gear Second?" Robin asked. "What's that?"

Luffy smirked.

"I use my rubber body to speed up the flow of blood in my body. That makes me much faster!" he explained. They looked at him wide-eyed.

"Seriously?" Zoro asked. "But you're already fast!"

Luffy nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fast enough so that I generally don't need it anymore. At least against anyone in Paradise I think." He replied. "Soru is more than enough for those!"

"Soru?" Robin repeated. Luffy nodded.

"So, you've heard about it? It's a technique high-ranking marines use." He told her.

"WIIIHAHAHAHA!" someone laughed. They looked up and saw a very muscular man with a golden belt on a rooftop.

'Another one.' Luffy thought.

"He's at it again?" a random citizen asked.

"This is a fun town!" Luffy chirped out and laughed.

"By the way, where are we heading, Captain-san?" Robin asked. Luffy shrugged.

"Who knows?" Luffy answered. "Any fun looking bar."

They walked for a few more moments. Luffy noticed the sniper of the Blackbeard pirates on another rooftop. Then he finally saw the bar he was looking for.

"There!" he said and pointed towards a bar, which a blond-haired pirate with a blue captain's coat had just entered.

'Ah Bellamy. You're going to be a jerk today, aren't you?!' Luffy thought in irritation.

But then another man gained his attention. It was him. Blackbeard.

At the same time as Bellamy entered the bar, Blackbeard exited it. They did not share a glance.

Luffy struggled to restrain himself as he walked towards the bar, Blackbeard coming in his direction. Zoro and Robin both noticed this and kept looking at him.

Blackbeard and Luffy passed each other. Luffy kept looking into the ground, while Blackbeard looked at him in interest.

Then, as soon as they were a few feet away from each-other, Luffy lost control. For just a second, his right hand blackened. It was like a flick, but the other man noticed it.

Blackbeard stopped walking. Luffy stopped too.

Luffy looked over his shoulder and saw Blackbeard doing the same, however his expression seemed drastically different to Luffy's.

Luffy glared at him, but Blackbeard's eyes were wide. He was sweating. He actually looked frightened.

'What's going on?!' thought both Robin and Zoro, but didn't dare say anything.

'Damn, I lost control.' Thought Luffy, as he looked straight into Blackbeard's disbelieving eyes.

'What overwhelming haki!' thought Blackbeard. 'For a moment I thought I felt Red-Haired's aura.'

He finally composed himself and turned around fully. Luffy and his two crew members followed his example.

"W-What's your name?" Blackbeard asked. Luffy relaxed his posture somewhat.

"I'm Monkey D Luffy." He answered. Blackbeard's eyes widened.

'That's the guy that defeated the Shichibukai, Crocodile.' He thought. 'But I had no idea he was _this_ powerful.'

"Your bounty?" Blackbeard asked after a few moments.

"70.000.000 Berry." Luffy answered.

'I'm sure the new wanted posters will arrive soon.' Blackbeard thought. 'Then his bounty will be at least double that.'

"Your name?" Luffy asked, altrough he already knew the answer.

"Marshall D Teach." Blackbeard answered. Luffy nodded.

"Nice to meet you." He answered.

"Likewise." Blackbeard replied. They then turned around and headed each into his own direction.

'Damn. If I knew he had refused the Shichibukai position, I'd fight him right now.' Blackbeard thought. 'But if I attack him while he's considering or he has accepted, the Government won't like me too much.'

He turned his head around and glanced at Luffy, who had just entered the bar, followed by his two crewmates.

'And if my observation haki is correct, he's way too strong to fight without knowing for sure.'

He then walked away.

* * *

When Luffy entered the bar, followed by Robin and Zoro, the entire place went quiet. Whether it was because of Luffy's commanding aura or because they recognized his face, every person inside ceased their conversation and looked at the new arrival.

The three walked towards the counter and sat down, Luffy intentionally sitting near Bellamy. Zoro and Robin sat down to his left.

Most of the attention was still on them, but a few of the patrons started talking again.

"Hey old man, get me a glass of wine!" Luffy ordered.

"Coming right up!" the bartender replied.

Zoro quirked an eyebrow at this.

"Luffy, you drink wine?" he asked.

"I drink whatever I feel like!" Luffy answered and grinned. "Now you guys say what you want!"

"I'll have wine like Captain-san!" Robin ordered.

"I'll have sake." Zoro told him.

"You're the captain?" Bellamy asked mockingly as Luffy got his drink. Luffy took a sip and turned to him.

"Yep." He replied simply.

"How could a squirt like you be the captain?" Bellamy asked and laughed. His crew laughed alongside him. Zoro and Robin didn't react, but they looked at Luffy, wondering what he'll do. He calmly kept drinking from his glass.

After the laughter quieted down, Luffy put down the glass on the counter rather loudly. Bellamy and a few of his men, most notably perhaps, Sarquiss, tensed up.

"I haven't heard a complaint yet." Luffy answered in a low tone. "Actually, I think my crew was quite happy with me when I defeated Sir Crocodile of the Shichibukai."

The bar quieted down immediately. Zoro smirked.

"You, defeat Crocodile?!" Bellamy asked mockingly and stood up. "I've never heard a worse joke!"

"Let me give you one piece of advice, whoever you are." Luffy continued. "Underestimating people on the Grand Line will get you killed."

"Hey, are you threatening me?!" Bellamy yelled. Luffy picked up his glass again and looked at him.

"Like I said, it's advice." Luffy replied. This seemed to piss off Bellamy even more.

"How dare you speak to our captain this way!" someone yelled. "The 55.000.000 Berry super rookie, Bellamy the Hyena!?"

Luffy smirked.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" he asked.

'He enjoys this way too much.' Zoro thought and smirked. Robin started chuckling.

"Captain-san, you're being a _bad boy_!" she said. Luffy's eyes widened and he looked at her in shock. Zoro also stopped smirking and turned in her direction, also shocked by her words.

"What?" she asked, still smiling.

"Robin." Luffy began. "That sounds even worse than bad girl. Way worse."

Robin chuckled.

"That's your punishment for calling me that." She replied.

Luffy pouted.

"STOP IGNORING ME!" Bellamy yelled and tried to punch Luffy, but he caught his fist with his palm. Luffy didn't even bother to face him.

"Fine." Luffy replied to her and smirked. "Have it your way, _bad girl_."

Being ignored again of course completely enraged Bellamy. He stepped back and activated his ability, which caused most of the patrons to run out of the bar.

"Spring Snipe!" Bellamy yelled and launched himself at Luffy.

"Armament." Luffy murmured.

Luffy stayed as he was, not moving an inch. As soon as Bellamy's punch hit Luffy, the force of the punch was returned to him several times over and he was blown away, crashing through the wall of the bar and flying through several houses.

Zoro sweat-dropped.

"Was that really necessary, Luffy?" he asked. Luffy laughed sheepishly and scratched his head.

"I might have overdone it." He replied.

"MIGHT HAVE?!" Zoro yelled at him with razor-sharp teeth. Robin just stared wide-eyed at the mad-shaped hole in the wall.

Somewhere else on the island, Blackbeard stared shocked at an unconscious Bellamy, who was imbedded into the wall of a house.

Back at the bar, Luffy paid for the drinks and the three crew members turned to leave.

"By the way, Luffy." Zoro asked. "Who was guy we met in front of the bar earlier?"

"I think that's quite obvious, Swordsman-san." Robin replied. Zoro's eyes widened.

"Blackbeard?" he asked. Luffy nodded.

"That's him." He replied. "But let's forget about him and think about Sky Island now!"

He raised both of his hands in the sky.

"ADVENTURE!"

* * *

_So that's Mock Town done. And again I'm tired and annoyed because of the stupid crap I had to put up with during the day. But at least I finished this chapter before midnight._

_How did you like the Blackbeard-Luffy and Bellamy-Luffy interactions? Notice how I've changed it up a bit and made the crew arrive later than in canon. The reason for that is because I couldn't really picture the interaction between a seated Luffy and Blackbeard. Just couldn't. _

_I'm not going to torture myself with writing this much longer, since I'm tired once again. So please, if you have anything to ask, just do that and I'll answer. Also, its been suggested to me to ask my readers for any ideas regarding the story. I'm not running out, so don't worry too much :D, but I'm always on the look for new ideas. _

_Several things have already been suggested to me in the past and have helped me a lot. :) A big thanks to everyone who has already made a suggestion or is going to. :D I appreciate it!_

_Thanks for reading and please review if you've got the time. _


	36. How lucky we are

**36. How lucky we are**

"Hey old man, we want to go to the Sky island!" Luffy asked cheerfully as Montblanc Cricket woke up from his nap. Cricket looked at him for a few moments and then started laughing.

"Hahahaha! Sky Island? You guys believe in the Sky island?" he asked.

"Well, actually I know there's a Sky Island up there!" Luffy told him. Cricket looked at him.

"And how would you know that, kid?" he asked.

"Because my friend Shanks was up there!" Luffy replied. Cricket looked at him for a few moments and then chuckled.

"Is your friend known as a liar?" he asked. Luffy shook his head.

"I don't think Red-Haired Shanks is particularly known as a liar." Robin interjected. The man's eyes widened.

"So, Norland didn't lie about that?" he asked. Luffy looked at him.

"Shanks seemed very clear about what he saw, old man." Luffy lied. In truth, Shanks hadn't told him anything at all about the Sky island, only that he was there once.

"The city of gold." Luffy concluded. Cricket's cigarette fell from his mouth. Everyone looked wide-eyed at Luffy.

"Of course, the Pirate king must have taken a lot of gold." Luffy continued. "But, if it's true and it's up there, we're still going to be the richest pirates in Paradise, maybe even in the New World."

Nami's eyes immediately turned into Berry signs and everyone else kept gaping at Luffy.

"Are you serious, kid? Red-Haired saw the city of gold up there?" Cricket asked. Luffy nodded.

"I didn't expect it to happen this way." Cricket said after a few minutes. "I've struggled and tried to prove or disprove my ancestor's claim for years now and you just come here and tell me."

He sighed.

"Thanks, kid." he said and smiled. "But I'll still need proof. I'll tell you how to get up there and I'll tell those idiots outside to give us a hand."

He glanced outside, where Masira and his brother Shoujou were arm-wrestling.

"If you get up there safely and you can find the golden bell, ring it." Cricket continued. "That will be all the proof that I need."

"Wait, you said your ancestor?" Sanji asked. "You mean Norland?"

Cricket nodded.

"He is my distant grandfather's grandfather's grandfather … or something like that." he told them. "Because of his lie, our family has always been laughed at. I wanted to have nothing to do with him, but when I stumbled upon this island, I thought: this is fate. I couldn't run any longer. I stayed to settle this with my ancestor."

Everyone nodded. Cricket sighed.

"But now after you've told me that, it seems Norland wasn't a liar after all." he concluded. Then he stood up.

"How do those two outside come into this?" Nami asked. Cricket shook his head.

"They're fans of the book." he told them. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"I was always alone, diving into the sea to try to find the lost city of gold." he continued. "And then they just barged into my life. Claimed Norland didn't lie. Honestly, I'd have died of loneliness if it weren't for those idiots. It seems they were right too."

He stood up.

"Listen up guys." he announced. "I'll now tell you about how you might be able to get up there."

* * *

A few minutes later ...

* * *

"So, basically, we need to get underneath the Knock-up stream precisely at the right moment and then it should blow us up in the air and we'll reach the sky ocean, if it's there of course?" Nami asked. Cricket nodded.

"That's the theory." he answered. "If the sky sea is up there, you'll reach it. If not, you'll die!"

Several straw hats cringed at this.

"Of course, even if it is there, you could still die if you do anything wrong." Cricket told them. "Also, that ship could never reach the sky."

He pointed at the Going Merry, which was anchored nearby.

"What's wrong with Merry?" Luffy asked. Cricket sighed.

"Even if it was brand new, it could never reach the sky." Cricket told him. Everyone looked at him in confusion. "Luckily, that's where we come in. Those guys will refit your ship, make it capable of flight."

Masira and Shoujou raised their hands in the air.

"Yep! Leave it to us, guys!" they announced.

'You didn't have to do that … ' Nami and Usopp thought gloomily. Nami stepped forward.

"Hey, do you even know what you're talking about, Luffy?" Nami asked. Luffy looked at her in confusion. "For starters, the Log-pose will set in about a day, so we can't stay here longer than that. After that, it will re-adapt to the next magnetic field."

"Right, right!" Usopp announced, a bit too cheerfully for Luffy's taste. "We won't make it!"

"The city of gold." Luffy interrupted and put a hand on Nami's shoulder. "One billion Berry might become a reality for us, Nami-_san_."

Her eyes instantly turned into Berry's and she stopped objecting. Most of the straw hats sweat-dropped.

'Damn. He's good.' Zoro thought.

"That's not the problem, Luffy!" Usopp yelled. "There's no telling when the Knock-up stream will come! It could be days, weeks, months, years even. You can't-"

"Tomorrow afternoon!" Cricket announced. "If you want to get going, you'd better get ready!"

Usopp's eyes bulged out.

"YOU MEAN WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT!?" he yelled.

"Well, that's unusually convenient!" Luffy said.

"I was going to say that!" Usopp replied.

"Whatever! SKY ISLAND! YAHOO! ADVENTURE!" Luffy announced. But then he turned back to Montblanc Cricket.

"Oh, by the way, old man!" Luffy asked. Cricket quirked an eyebrow. "How will we know which direction to go? I mean, the Log-pose points directly to Sky Island and compasses don't work."

"Wait here!" the man replied and took a step back into his half-house. Nami stared wide-eyed at Luffy and took a step back.

Luffy sighed.

"What?" he asked.

"W-What did you do with Luffy?!" she asked. Robin chuckled.

"What do you mean?!" Luffy yelled.

"You said something smart, Luffy." Sanji announced. Usopp nodded furiously. Zoro face-palmed.

Luffy looked at Sanji with half lidded eyes.

"You're both jerks." he said. He heard Robin chuckle again.

"Well, at least someone's amused." he told her. She shrugged.

"I find the way they treat their captain quite amusing." she told him.

He sighed. At that moment Cricket came out of the house, carrying something covered with some cloth. He put the object on the wooden stump and pulled the cloth off it. Underneath was a small golden statue of a southbird.

Everyone came over to look at the statue. Robin sat down on the stump and looked at it from all directions.

"WOW!" Nami screamed out when she looked at it closely. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Don't get any ideas, Nami." Luffy told her.

"I was just looking at it!" she screamed at him. He chuckled.

"Right." he answered. She sighed.

"This is a southbird." Montblanc Cricket announced. "No matter how large a stretch of land is or how much the sea tosses and turns, its head will remain pointed in a single direction. You need to capture one of those birds."

Luffy raised his hand.

"Yes?" Cricket asked.

"Are there northbirds and westbirds and eastbirds too?" he asked. Cricket nodded.

"I've seen a northbird once. I've never seen one of the other two, but they exist." he answered.

"So, let's not waste any time and capture one." Zoro said.

"Yes, have fun!" Luffy announced. Everyone looked at him.

"You're coming with us." Nami ordered. Luffy shook his head.

"Shishishi! No. I'll leave the boring stuff to you guys!" he told her. "It's also good training for you!"

"But Luffy-" Nami started.

"HAVE FUN!" he interrupted. "Jerks."

"Oh, so that's what this is about, shitty rubber?!" Sanji yelled. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! Well, you shouldn't be mean to your captain, jerk!" he told him.

Everyone turned to leave, but when Robin tried to stand up, Luffy put an arm on her shoulder.

"You stay." he told her. Everyone looked at him in confusion. Luffy turned around to face them and was now sporting an evil grin. They cringed upon seeing it. "It'll be way too easy for them if you come along."

Robin chuckled as he waved at them.

"Have fun, guys!"

As they left, either muttering curses or sulking, Luffy let himself fall backwards on the grass. When he could no longer hear them, he turned to Robin and smirked. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Shishishi! This should be priceless." he told her.

"Again you seem to know something that we don't, Captain-san." she replied. He chuckled.

"I tried to catch a southbird once … " Luffy began and was then quiet for like a full minute. He spread his limbs over the grass.

"Well, like I said." he then continued. "It should be funny! Shishishishi!"

"You're right, kid." Cricket added, also sporting a grin of his own. "Those birds are devilish!"

She sighed.

"I hope they aren't in danger." she said. Luffy chuckled again.

"Naah! Not _serious_ danger anyway!" Luffy answered. She shook her head.

"By the way, Captain-san. If you wanted Blackbeard gone so much, why didn't you just provoke him or something?" she asked after a moment. "Or you could have just attacked him anyway."

"Who is Blackbeard?" Cricket asked, as he sat down next to them. He was following their conversation.

"A traitor." Luffy answered. "Blackbeard or Marshall D Teach was part of Whitebeard's crew, but he betrayed them and nearly killed one of their commanders. He's a nakama-killing bastard, the worst kind of a man you can find on the sea."

Cricket's eyes widened.

"Whtebeard? What do you have to do with Whitebeard, kid?" he asked. Luffy looked at him.

"Both of my brothers are in his crew." he answered, much to Cricket's shock. "But even if they weren't, I'd still hate the guy. I can't stand to even be around people like that."

He pulled himself up and sat on the grass.

"I mean, I'd let go of anything else. But a man who kills one of his nakama, who basically put his life and trust into his hands … a man like that deserves to die on the spot."

Both of them looked at him with wide-eyes, shocked beyond belief at the words that came from his usually cheerful mouth.

"T-That's quite shocking to hear from you." Robin told him. He looked at her and sighed.

"Nakama aren't supposed to kill each-other." he told her. "When you join a pirate crew, you are hunted and hated by the world, so your nakama are often the only people you can turn your back to. To be betrayed by one of them … it's unthinkable."

He sighed and fell back on the grass.

"I don't know that much about Whitebeard, but I've heard that he has only one ironclad rule. Don't kill your nakama. Whatever the reason." Luffy continued. "But there had to be a reason for Blackbeard to betray his crew after years of loyal service. Something that outweighed the risk of betraying Shirohige."

He looked at Robin and sighed.

"My bet is on a devil fruit. Logia probably. And it has to be very powerful, even among the best of them." Luffy finished. He knew that was correct. Yami Yami no Mi was most likely a logia and it had the ability to disable any devil fruit on touch, even Luffy's, which was always 'on', even in seastone and water.

"T-That's quite an impressive deduction, Captain-san." Robin told him. He laughed.

"Thanks." he replied. "But even if he really wanted the fruit. He could always have stolen it. He didn't need to kill anyone. If he had stolen it, he'd probably get punished, but he'd live. So, I guess he was planning all of this somehow."

He sighed again and looked at the ground.

"And that's why I fear for Ace." he concluded. 'And in only a few weeks you'll see I was right. But, I'll prevent the worst. I swear.'

His arm blackened again. Robin looked at it cautiously.

"You're dealing with big-shots there, kid." Cricket replied. Luffy nodded.

"How strong do you think he is?" Robin asked him. Luffy shrugged.

"Seeing as he dared to betray Whitebeard, I'd say he's at least as strong as the average commander, but he could be even stronger." he replied. In all honesty, Luffy didn't know. When he met him in Mock Town, Blackbeard never showed his level of haki and Luffy was unable to sense it when they met in Impel Down in his first 'life'. He knew that he had managed to kill his former captain, but he also knew that Whitebeard was by then nearly dead, using most of his haki and strength just to remain alive, so he was fairly sure that he himself was stronger than Blackbeard as well, since he couldn't imagine Shanks for example having too much trouble with Whitebeard in such a state, but Blackbeard nearly died to him.

They were silent for a few moments, but then Robin remembered something.

"You haven't answered my question, Captain-san!" she told him. He looked at her. "Why didn't you provoke him or something like that?"

He sighed.

"When something like this happens, a crew's reputation is at stake. It's their job to deal with the betrayer. It'd be poor honor to do that for them. As much as I was tempted, I couldn't do that." Luffy told her. "Also, I don't break promises."

* * *

After a few hours ...

* * *

The modifications and repair of the Going Merry were nearly finished.

Sanji came running towards the three pirates, seated on or near the tree stump, followed by the rest of their crew-members. Zoro carried a southbird in his hands. All of them had plenty of bumps and small cuts on their bodies, but worst of all … following behind them was half the animals of the Jaya forest.

Luffy pointed at them and fell over, laughing his ass off. When Robin saw the scene, her eyes widened and she failed to suppress her own laughter.

"Fufufufufu! I see what you meant, Captain-san!"

"HEY, STOP LAUGHING!" Zoro yelled with an angry red face.

"Shishishishishishi! Sorry, sorry! Shishishishishishi!"

"QUIT THAT!" Nami yelled.

"Fufufufufufufu! Sorry, Navigator-san!"

Then as they reached them, Luffy stood up and released a wave of controlled conqueror's haki. All the animals following them fell down on the ground. Luffy looked athis crew-members for a few moments and then continued laughing.

"STOP IT!" Sanji yelled. "STOP LAUGHING, SHITTY RUBBER!"

Robin, on the other hand, stared at the fallen animals in shock.

'What did just happen?! Was that also haki?'

* * *

_I'm not in the mood to write the author's comment, so if you've got something to ask concerning this chapter, ask in a review or PM and I shall answer!_

_Also, I didn't put Robin and Luffy together for the sake of any romantic bonding or anything. (Not that there was anything romantic in this chapter.) It's just like Luffy said: if Robin went with them,it'd be too easy and too fast. And that wouldn't be neither a good punishment for being a meanie nor good training, would it?_

_So thanks for reading and please review if you want. I appreciate it._

* * *

If you like my story and want to make me happy, then click this link (hopefully in massively overwhelming numbers :D ): adf(replace this with dot)ly/6qkpw


	37. To the Sky

**37. To the Sky**

"SEE YOU LATER, GUYS!" Luffy yelled and waved as the Going Merry headed towards the giant whirlpool. The cowardly trio screamed and cringed and held on the ship's railing at all times, while the four more monstrous members dealt with the situation in different ways. Luffy jumped around in joy, Robin looked tense, but otherwise calm, Zoro held on to the railing with a smirk on his face, while Sanji continually offered both ladies his arms (Nami more often, since she seemed scared, while Robin didn't). The bird on the railing looked panicked, as he tried to fly away, but he was bound to the railing.

Then everything suddenly stopped.

"Hmm, why did the fun stop?!" Luffy pouted in disappointment.

"WHAT FUN?!" nearly everyone, except Robin and Zoro yelled at him. Those two just laughed.

"But sailing in the whirlpool was so much fun!" Luffy pouted again. "Better than the first time!"

"First time?" Zoro asked while several crew-members either face-palmed, sighed or laughed.

"Yep! Shishishishi! When I set sail from my home village, I accidentally sailed into a whirpool!" Luffy explained. Zoro's eyes bulged out.

"You nearly died before even getting your first ship-mate?!" he yelled at the captain. Luffy nodded and laughed sheepishly.

"YOU IDIOT!" Nami yelled. He just continued to laugh.

"Well, if I had died, that would be that." Luffy told her. "That'd mean that was how far I was meant to go!"

Zoro's eyes widened after hearing this.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Let's test this sword's curse against my luck. If I lose … then that just means I was never a man who'd amount to anything special!"_

* * *

He smirked.

"So, wouldn't you be ashamed if you died because of a whirlpool?!" Nami asked. Luffy chuckled.

"I'd be dead, so how could I be ashamed?" he asked and looked at her.

"So, now what happens?" he asked after a few moments of silence, but his question was answered by someone not on his crew.

"HEY, MUGIWARA!" someone yelled. "I've come for your head. Zehahahaha!"

Luffy's fist blackened immediately. Blackbeard's laugh faltered for a moment.

'So, I wasn't wrong.' he thought. 'He's definitely incredibly strong.'

"But you didn't seem interested yesterday!" Luffy yelled back, trying to make his voice sound as neutral as possible.

"Zehahahahaha! That was before I knew you refused a Shichibukai position and got this nice bounty on your head! But I guess you didn't know! So look!" Blackbeard yelled and showed two wanted posters.

"Pirate hunter Zoro, 60.000.000 Berry … and Monkey D Luffy, 160.000.000 Berry! Zehahahaha!" Blackbeard told him. Most of the Straw hats jaws dropped at this. Luffy just smirked.

'So I guess Smoker either didn't tell them about my haki or they didn't believe him.' he thought. 'That's good. I almost thought I ruined my plan with that.'

But then his eyes rested on Blackbeard. Luffy smirked again.

'He wants my head.' Luffy thought and grinned. 'So I guess that means I can kill him now.'

He pulled out his sword and slashed forward from the railing.

"**Tsuyoi Akainami **(Strong red wave)**!**" Luffy yelled and a huge blood-red wave traveled towards Blackbeard's pathetic little raft.

'You don't have a swordsman yet.' Luffy thought with an evil grin. 'So what are you going to do, Fatbeard?'

Robin glanced at him.

'He wasn't kidding.' she thought with widened eyes. 'That slash is intended to kill!'

Several other members looked at Luffy with surprise.

'This has never happened before.' Zoro thought. 'Krieg was kinda similar, but this is on another level. He just wanted to shut up Krieg, but this guy … '

At the last possible moment, Jesus Burgess kicked Blackbeard to the other side of the raft and as soon as he retracted his leg, the wave rushed past the middle of the raft and cut it cleanly in half, brushing his foot and destroying most of his shoe with it. Water that had been parted, started to fill in. The two parts of the raft flew in different direction and they too started cracking from the aftershock of the attack. Soon, both parts cracked nearly entirely and soon, they were in like ten pieces each. Blackbeard held on to one with his dear life and watched in horror at Luffy.

His foe smirked and raised his sword again.

'No, I can't die here!' Backbeard thought. He looked nearly scared to death(haha). He knew that unless something happened, he was a goner.

"HEY, STOP IT!" he yelled pleadingly. "DON'T DO IT!"

Luffy's eyes darkened and he gritted his teeth in anger. Blackbeard knew that he just may have made matters worse.

"The only thing I hate more than nakama-murdering bastards, Blackbeard … are _cowardly_ nakama-murdering bastards!" he spat out and slashed forward.

However as soon as he did, a bullet hit him straight in the head. He bounced off the bullet, but it was enough to change the direction of the slash. The wave went past Blackbeard, destroying another piece of his raft near him, but leaving him unharmed.

Luffy turned to the left and glared at Auge, Blackbeard's sniper, who stood on a piece of the raft, with his gun aiming at him.

'At least _his_ nakama are loyal.' Luffy thought. 'For now …'

The sniper shot him several times, preventing him from doing anything for a few moments. Then his bullets ran out. Luffy smirked at him and turned back to Blackbeard, however just as he was about to slash a third time, water exploded beneath them.

They were blown into the sky.

* * *

The four Blackbeard pirates made their way to their captain and together they sat on the biggest piece of wood.

"Zehahahaha! I'm still alive!" Blackbeard yelled. "I'm pretty lucky, aren't I?"

The resident champion, Jesus Burgess scowled.

"Captain, how can you take this so lightly!" he yelled at his captain. "You were _this_ close to dying and it's all your fault!"

"Zehahaha! But I'm alive!" Blackbeard shouted again. "I guess it wasn't my time to go yet, eh Auge?"

"Exactly." The sniper replied quietly.

"Oh and thanks, Auge!" Blackbeard told him. The sniper nodded.

"Honestly, captain!" Burgess scolded. "If you knew he could do that, why did we attack him on the sea?!"

"But I didn't know!" Blackbeard replied. "Anyway, forget about it now. We're all fine! Zehahahahaha!"

"Whatever."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the Going Merry, which was sailing towards the sky. Luffy sheathed his sword and clenched both of his fists. He stood on the door of the Going Merry.

'Damn!' Luffy thought. 'I failed! That was my last chance to get rid of him before he got Ace! Why didn't I just ignore Whitebeard's request and kill him right there in the town!'

He gritted his teeth.

When he finally raised his head, he saw both Zoro and Robin staring at him.

'He hardly even noticed the position the ship is in.' Robin thought. 'This isn't just some policy of his. This seems personal.'

He took a deep breath and forced a smile on his lips. He looked around and noticed the rest of his nakama, much less calm than the three.

"Unfurl the sails!" Nami ordered. "This isn't just a column of water! It's the ocean! A vertically flowing current!"

"YOSH!" Luffy yelled and grinned genuinely now, Blackbeard forgotten for a bit upon seeing the determined navigator. He proceeded to do as she asked. She proceeded to explain some things about the phenomenon, but Luffy just focused on what he was doing.

"Who's this ship's navigator?" he heard her say. He grinned.

"It's Nami-swan!" Sanji sang out with a heart in his eye, but didn't do his noodle dance. (That might be _a little_ dangerous to do in such a situation.)

Nami continued yelling orders as Luffy jumped down from the mast and pushed his hand in the air.

"TO THE SKY!"

* * *

_Ah, hello again. Sorry for the lack of updating on my part. It's the damn school. I didn't actually study all that much (figures :) ), but it was the nervousness and stuff. Also, sorry for the shortness of this update, but you'll probably (not promising, but probably) get another one today. I'm currently in Ljubljana, the capitol city of my country, where I live when the school is and I seem to write faster and better when I'm here as opposed to home. No idea why though. And I have a greater motivation to write when I'm here. Again, no idea why. Ughh, anyway, let's go to the actual comment._

_So yeah, kinda the main and probably the only point of this chapter was Blackbeard. Luffy nearly killed him and Blackbeard showed his cowardice when he thought he would die (like he did in front of Whitebeard) and Luffy hated that. Also, why did Luffy so easily own Blackbeard? It wasn't like Luffy was so much stronger than him, it was just his massive advantage. He had a sword. He could do powerful haki infused flying blade attacks of doom. Yeah. So, since Blackbeard was foolish enough to try to attack and didn't have a swordsman to defend him from them, he nearly died. I promise that their actual fight won't be anywhere near this one-sided though._

_I don't think there's much more to say in this chapter, except maybe the reason, why I didn't just write more in this chapter instead of doing another: It seemed weird to continue the chapter at this point. It seems better to me to start a new one, where they wake up in the air. _

_Also, another announcement. Updates may become erratic for the remainder of this month. Like I said, I have finals, so I'll have to do at least a few of them in this month, when the first deadlines are (we have four if anyone's curious, but I don't exactly want to do them in september, when the last ones are). So yeah. I'll try to keep it as regular as possible. But no promises. Especially during this weekend (I have to do a paper for statistics and I'm not really good at maths)._

_So, thanks for reading and please review._


	38. Weird knight

**38. Weird knight**

Luffy coughed up a lot of water. He looked around and noticed a lot of clouds around the ship.

"SO COOL!" he yelled out, startling his slowly waking nakama.

"What is it, Luffy?" Nami asked. Luffy offered her his hand and she accepted. He pulled her up and then pointed at the distance.

"The sea of the sky, Nami." he told her. "I told you it exists!"

Her eyes widened as she looked around, white surrounding her from all sides. She took a step back.

"Wow." she whispered. He grinned and looked around. He saw more disbelieving faces. He chuckled.

"Welcome to the sky, guys!" he announced. Everyone started laughing in joy.

"It's real." Usopp and Chopper gasped. Luffy looked at them with a stern look.

"Didn't you have faith in your captain?" he asked in a scolding voice. They looked at him with guilty expressions, but then he chuckled and jumped towards them, taking their hands.

"SKY ISLAND!" he exclaimed and they started dancing around the deck. The next who got up was Robin, who looked around the ship and couldn't believe what she saw for a moment. Then she just smiled. The last to get up were Zoro and Sanji and that was because they competed who would get up first and kept preventing each other from standing up.

"OH!" Luffy exclaimed and suddenly let go of his two 'dancing partners'. "I hope no-one is stupid enough to go swimming here! If you do, you'll fall back down on the Grand-line."

Nami's eyes again widened and she took a step back. Luffy looked at her with an annoyed expression.

"Really?" he asked her and sighed. Robin chuckled.

"Luffy, you-" she started. He put an arm on her mouth. Zoro's eyes widened.

"Nami, if you finish that sentence, I'm leaving the next enemy to you." he told her. "Okay?"

She nodded meekly and he let go of her mouth.

Zoro chuckled as she remained quiet.

"HEY, DON'T TALK THAT WAY TO NAMI-SWAN!" Sanji yelled at him. Luffy turned to him and looked at him with a confused expression.

"What way?" he asked. Sanji glared at him.

"Don't order her around!" he told him. Luffy blinked a few times.

"But I'm the captain. That's what I do." he told him. Sanji opened his mouth to say something, but he closed it.

"You're right, Luffy. You're the captain!" Zoro told him with a smirk on his face. Sanji glared at him. "You can order us around, especially the dartbrow over here."

"Shitty marimo." Sanji replied.

"Shitty cook." Zoro retorted.

"You want to fight, stupid swordsman?" Sanji yelled and put his face right into Zoro's.

"You can't match me, stupid dartbrow!" Zoro yelled back, pushing him away.

"SHUT UP!" Nami yelled and punched both of them on the head.

"H-Haii, Nami-swan!" Sanji replied in his beaten up state.

"Stupid witch." Zoro growled. Robin clapped her hands a few times in applause.

"Thank you, Robin!" Nami told her and took a small bow.

"My pleasure." the archeologist replied and giggled.

Then they suddenly heard a splash. A huge fish rose from the water and jumped right at the Merry to take a bite.

"**Gear Third.**" Luffy announced. Everyone looked at him, wondering what he'd do. Luffy took his right hand to his mouth and bit into the thumb. Then he took a deep breath and blew lots of air into it and to the surprise and shock of his nakama, the hand grew in size until it was as large as that of a giant. Sanji dropped his cigarette.

Luffy then, ignoring his gaping nakama, grabbed the approaching fish by the neck and stopped it. Then he just threw it into the distance. He turned around and saw his still gaping nakama.

"Hello?!" he said and waved the now deflated hand in front of their faces.

"What was that, Luffy?" Zoro asked. Luffy smirked proudly.

"That's Gear Third." he answered. "Since I'm rubber I can enlarge my bones by putting air into them."

"How is that possible?" Usopp asked. Luffy shrugged.

"I'm rubber." he answered. Everyone blinked a few times.

Then another, but larger fish also tried to attack the Merry, but Luffy just punched it away casually. As the fish flew away, another much smaller fish fell onto the deck.

Robin picked it up.

"Would you say this is a Skyfish?" she asked. "The strange fish Norland mentioned in his journal? Since the sea has no bottom, they must have evolved various adaptations to survive."

Luffy walked up to her and took the little fish out of her hands.

"Looks tasty!" he muttered. He ignored Robin, Zoro and Nami as they talked about the topic further and just handed it to Sanji, who quickly cooked it.

Luffy took a bite.

"This is SOO GOOD!" he announced. Nami sighed and slapped her head.

"We weren't done, you know." she told him.

"Try it!" Luffy told her. She took a bite.

"You're right!" she chirped out. "It's delicious."

"I'm glad you like it, Nami-san!" Sanji thanked her.

"Let's eat a big one too!" Luffy announced. Sanji shrugged.

"Just find one." he told him. Luffy turned to Robin and handed her the plate. She looked at him.

"You caught it, so try it!" he told her and grinned. Nami's eyes widened again and she took a step back.

"You're sharing food?" she screeched out.

"Shishishi! You're so funny, Nami!" Luffy told her. She blinked a few times.

"I'm funny?" she asked with a confused expression. Luffy nodded.

"Nami imitation!" he announced. He put his hands in front of him as if trying to push something away and gained a comically shocked expression. He took several steps back. Nami's eye twitched.

"Oh no! What did you do with Luffy?" Luffy exclaimed in a fake Nami voice. Robin nearly spat out the fish she was chewing as she barely contained her laughter. Usopp and Chopper however were already rolling on the floor.

"HEY! I DON'T TALK THAT WAY!" Nami yelled and slapped him.

Luffy then suddenly sensed a relatively strong aura approach them. He looked into the distance and saw a ship getting destroyed.

"What is it?" Nami asked. Luffy looked at her.

"Someone is approaching." he told her.

In a few moments, a masked man who seemed to ride on top of the cloud sea, appeared in front of them.

"OI, you there!" Sanji called. "What do you want?"

"I shall reject you!" the man declared.

"He wants a fight!" Sanji told them. Zoro took out his katana.

"Fine by me!" he replied.

The man then slammed into Sanji, sending him flying into the ground. He jumped up and kicked Zoro, who was just about to slash him. He jumped back in the air and attempted to kick Luffy into the ground, but Luffy sidestepped and avoided him.

"**Armament.**" Luffy murmured. He stretched out his palm and slapped the man away, sending him flying into the distance.

"Damn jerk." he muttered and his armament disappeared. Then another man appeared out of the sky. He rode a weird, pink bird with purple circles. He wore a shiny silver armor and he had a silver lance as a weapon.

'Weird knight.' Luffy thought and grinned. The man landed on the railing of the ship.

"So it seems you didn't need my help." he said simply.

"What is going on?" Nami asked. She glanced at the two members of the monster trio, who laid on the ground. "What are you two doing?"

"Don't blame them, Nami." Luffy told her. "It's just that the air here is much thinner than down below."

"Right, now that I think about it … " Zoro confirmed. Nami looked at Luffy.

"How come you aren't affected?" she asked. He grinned.

"Training." he replied.

"Are you Blue sea dwellers?" the knight asked.

"Yes." Luffy answered. Nami looked at him oddly.

"Blue sea dwellers?" she asked. Luffy looked at her.

"This is known as the white sea and the sea bellow is known as the blue sea." he told her. He looked at the knight. "Right?"

The knight looked at him in surprise.

"You seem to know some things about this place." he replied. "Were you here before?"

Luffy shook his head.

"No, but I've heard about it from someone, who was." he replied. The knight quirked an eyebrow. "Shanks, apprentice of Gol D Roger."

The knight's eyes widened.

"So you've met him?" Luffy asked after seeing his surprised expression. The knight nodded.

"How is Roger doing? Is he well?" the knight asked. Luffy sighed.

"I'm afraid he's gone." Luffy replied. "He became the pirate king … and then he was executed."

The man's face fell visibly.

"That's too bad. He and his band were a good bunch. I'm sorry to hear they're gone." he replied.

"Oh, but they're not all gone." Luffy told him. He looked up in surprise. The crew also looked at Luffy. "Most of them are still alive."

"But how, Captain-san? The government said they were all captured." Robin interupted. Luffy shook his head.

"They weren't captured." he told them. Everyone gasped at the revelation. "The pirate king surrendered."

Luffy ignored the shocked expressions and continued.

"Silvers Rayleigh, Shanks and Buggy all still live." he told them. Nami and Zoro looked at him with wide-eyed expressions.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" Nami asked. Luffy looked at her and shook his head. Zoro blinked a few times.

"Buggy was one of the pirate king's nakama?" he asked after a few moments. Luffy nodded.

"A cabin boy, like Shanks." he answered. Both of them shook their heads.

"Every herd has a black sheep." Sanji offered. They both nodded repeatedly.

"Who's Buggy?" Robin asked. Everyone looked at her.

"An East Blue pirate." Sanji told her. "A nobody basically."

Somewhere on the Grand-line, a certain red-nosed pirate got the sudden urge to murder someone.

"Ah, by the way, what's your name?" Luffy asked.

"I'm the knight of the sky, Gan Fall. And this is my partner Pierre." he replied. "So, seeing how you don't need my help, I'll take my leave."

"Wait!" Nami yelled after him. He stopped. "What do you mean help?"

"This is a service." he answered. "This is a dangerous land. I make my living as a knight for hire. I give this whistle to whoever wants my help and if you blow it I come to your aid." (I hope this doesn't sound wrong.)

"But for a fee of 5.000.000 Extols." the knight added. Everyone sweat-dropped as the fee seemed outrageously high.

"I think we'd like to take the whistle." Luffy answered. "I can't be everywhere at once after all."

"I see." the knight replied. "Here you go."

He threw him the whistle and Luffy caught it.

"Since you told me about Roger's fate, I'll give you one service for free." The knight replied. "But every next service will cost 5.000.000 Extols."

"What're you talking about, old man?" Sanji asked. "What's this extol thing?"

Gan Fall gasped and sweated.

"You mean you didn't come here from High West?" he asked. Everyone looked at him oddly. "But you must have at least stopped by one or two islands?"

"Hold on!" Nami interrupted. "You mean there are other ways to get up here? And what do you mean one or two islands? There are more of them?"

"You mean that you-" Gan Fall began.

"We rode the Knock-Up stream." Robin interrupted. His eyes widened again.

"You mean that monstrous current?" he asked. "To think that there are still souls brave enough to do that … "

"I knew it wasn't a normal route!" Nami cried. She grabbed Luffy's cardigan and shook it. "I THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO DIE! IF WE HAD GATHERED MORE INFORMATION WE'D HAVE AN EASIER TRIP! IT'S ALL YOU FAULT?"

"But it was fun, wasn't it, Nami?!" Luffy asked cheerfully. Gan Fall resisted the urge to sweat-drop.

"Have you lost any of your crew?" he asked.

"Nope." Luffy replied cheerfully.

"I see." the knight replied. "But the other routes would not have been so merciful. Here you either all die or all survive."

After a few more minutes of conversation, the knight of the sky left on his bird/slash horse partner and the Straw-hats continued to their destination.

* * *

_So, the long awaited chapter. I actually wrote half of this chapter on friday, but I didn't finish it. I'm still not happy with it, but at least its done. Had to repeat stuff. Ughh. _

_As you could see, Gan Fall still came to their help, the only difference was that they didn't need it this time. _

_About the conversation about Roger: Gan Fall met him, so it seemed appropriate to me to add it in. _

_Don't remember anything else to write, so yeah ... that's it. Thanks for reading and please review. Unfortunately, until I say otherwise, updates will probably remain irregular. At least for the next four days. I'm not sure about afterwards._


	39. Angelic hosts

**39. Angelic hosts**

"HESO!" a blonde-haired girl dressed in a pink outfit with white wings on her back greeted with a somewhat sad smile. The Straw-hats noticed her and all turned around to look at her. Sanji immediately had a heart in his eye.

"Suu, come here!" the girl called and the little white fox that Luffy and Chopper were playing with ran towards her.

"Are you from the Blue sea?" she asked. Everyone nodded.

"Yes, we came from down there." Luffy replied. "Do you live here?"

"Yes, I do." she replied. "Welcome to Skypea's angel beach?"

She noticed the big melon that Luffy had on the ground.

"Would you like to drink that?" she asked. He nodded. She motioned for him to give her the melon and he complied.

"The top of a conasshu is as hard as steel." she explained. She pulled out a small knife. "But you can easily cut through the bottom."

She turned the melon around and cut a small hole in the middle. She put a straw in it and gave it to Luffy.

"Here." she said and smiled kindly. He took it and did a sip.

'This is as good as I remember it.' he thought.

"SOOOO GOOD!" he yelled out. It wasn't an exaggeration. The juice in the melon was really good.

"Is it really so good?!" Usopp asked. Luffy nodded and gave it to him. Usopp tried it and confirmed Luffy's words. Luffy looked up to the girl.

"Could we take a few of those?" he asked her. She smiled.

"Sure, we have a lot here!" she replied. "But, oh, where are my manners. I'm Conis and this is Suu, a cloudfox. Should you need anything, please let me know."

"Uhm, about that." Sanji began. "The look in your eyes has pierced my heart-"

Nami pulled his ear and pulled him away.

"Oww, Nami-swan, is this jealousy?!" he asked in his love dazed state.

"Humpf. You wish." she told him and he deflated and started sulking on the ground. Robin chuckled upon seeing that. He instantly jumped back up.

"Is perhaps my Robin-chwan jealous?!" he asked and started twirling around her.

"Not at all, Cook-san. She's all yours. Fufufufu!" she told him. He deflated again, having been refused by the both of the ladies.

"Che. Hopeless dartbrow." Zoro muttered. A vein popped on Sanji's head.

"What was that, marimo?" he replied and stood up.

"I said you're hopeless, shitty cook!" Zoro told him.

And then they started fighting. Usopp and Nami sighed, Chopper watched in awe and Robin ignored them. But then, Luffy started laughing his full-blown laughter. Not his trademark 'shishishi', but a roaring laugh. Everyone was startled by this and they looked at him. Even the two who were fighting

"What's so funny, Luffy?" Usopp asked in confusion. Luffy finally stopped then and got up.

"Shishishishi! Sorry, It's just that they look like a quarreling couple!"

Everyone blinked a few times and after a while they were all on the ground, laughing their asses off. Even the stoic Robin had a good laugh and Conis actually joined them.

"Why you!?" they both seethed at the same time.

"Hahahaha! Look, they're totally the same!" Usopp told them.

"I'm not the same as the disgusting Marimo!" "I'm not the same as the perverted love-cook!" they both yelled at the same time.

"See, Usopp's right!" Luffy cheerfully replied and fell down laughing, along with the rest of his crew.

"Luffy-" both of them muttered darkly and jumped at him, attempting to beat him up. Luffy of course dodged or blocked every move while laughing all the time.

"Hey guys, stop fighting!" Nami yelled after finally picking herself up.

"Hey Nami!" Luffy yelled. "Look at this!"

Everyone looked at him.

"Stop it, shitty captain!" Sanji yelled. Luffy gained an evil grin as he dodged his kick. The two rivals paled upon seeing it.

He put both of his hands together with only his index fingers extended and made them almost touch each-other.

"Your cooking is shitty, _dartbrow_!" Luffy imitated with his best Zoro voice, whilst moving his right index finger.

"Not as shitty as your swordsmanship, _marimo_." Luffy imitated in his Sanji voice, whilst moving the left index finger. Then he put the two fingers together, rubbing them against each other, while imitating kissing sounds.

And everyone was on the ground once again.

"Hahahaha! Luffy, Hahaha! My stomach!" Usopp laughed. The rest weren't much better. The two rivals started attacking more and more furiously and all the while, Luffy was laughing. The least affected was Robin, who, while laughing uncharacteristically long and loud, for herself, was still standing. While she didn't have anything against a good laugh, she knew that with their stamina and Luffy's endless supply of immature jokes, this could take a while. So she defused the situation the only way she could think of.

"Fufufufufu! Stop being a bad boy, Captain-san!" she told them.

The reaction was immediate. Everyone quieted down and was gaping at her like a fish in disbelief.

"Did I hear that right?" Nami wondered aloud.

"Are you feeling sick, Robin?" Usopp asked.

"Doctor, doctor! Someone call a doctor!" Chopper yelled.

"Why did Robin-chwan say that?" Sanji asked in a puzzled expression.

Zoro and Luffy who had already heard her say that just stared at her. There was silence for a few moments and then …

"Shishishishi! My crew is so funny!" Luffy laughed and then took the melon from the ground and started drinking from the straw. Everyone sighed, finally freed from their painful laughter.

"Conis-san, heso!" someone yelled from far away, starling everyone.

"Heso, Father!" Conis yelled back. Her father was using some sort of device to travel on the sea cloud and Nami noticed it.

"Hey, what is that thing? The thing he's riding on?!" she asked. Conis looked at her.

"Oh, that's a waver." Conis replied and smiled.

" …. waver?" Nami repeated.

"Hey! I'm Sorry!" the father yelled. "I'm stopping now."

And stop he did, right in the nearest tree, while nearly hitting some of the crew.

"Is everyone okay?" he asked. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"WHAT ABOUT YOU?!" Zoro yelled.

"Hey Luffy, didn't you bring something like that from the ocean floor?" Nami asked Luffy, who was drinking from his melon.

"Yes I did." (Luffy put the waver in the same bag as his poor armor)

* * *

A few minutes, waver riding and conversations later ...

* * *

They sat down on the sofas (cloud sofas) in the living room of their hosts.

"Ah, but we're so rude!" Luffy suddenly exclaimed while they were relaxing in their seats. "We haven't even introduced ourselves!"

Everyone looked at him.

"The guy with the long-nose is Usopp!" Luffy began and pointed at Usopp.

"It's _Captain_ Usopp!" he announced.

"You mean Vice-captain when I'm asleep!" Zoro reminded him with a smirk and he deflated somewhat.

"That cool-looking reindeer is Chopper!" Luffy announced and pointed at him.

"Bastard! I'm not happy even if you compliment me, jerk!" Chopper replied while dancing his

awkward little dance. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"That guy with green hair and scary face is Zoro!" he said and pointed at Zoro.

"Shut up." he complained.

"That guy with the funny eyebrow is Sanji!" Luffy announced and pointed at him.

"Conis-chan, I'm at your- HEY WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

Luffy ignored him while Zoro chuckled. They nearly started a fight, but Robin broke them apart.

"The mean-looking redhead using the waver is Nami!" he said and pointed at the white sea.

"Mean-looking?" everyone repeated.

"And the mysterious-looking girl is Robin!" Luffy said and pointed at Robin. She quirked an eyebrow.

"Mysterious looking, Captain-san?" she asked with a somewhat wide-eyed expression. He nodded.

"You're mysterious, Robin." he replied. "Kinda like those poneglamph stones you're searching for."

"Poneglyph." she corrected him.

"Right." he nodded.

"And I'm Luffy!" he said with a big grin and pointed at himself. Conis smiled at their introductions.

"It's nice to meet you all!" she told them and smiled.

"Conis-san?" Robin began after a moment of silence. "Could you perhaps tell us about the dials you've mentioned earlier?"

* * *

A few minutes and a basic explanation of dials later …

* * *

"Hey, Conis!" Luffy began after listening to her explanations and seeing her demonstrations of dial use. She looked at him. "A man attacked us down below on the white sea. He said he was going to reject us. Does that have anything to do with dials?"

She looked down for a minute.

"There is a war going on here on Skypiea. Well, nothing has happened for a while, but it soon will." she started. Her and her father's faces fell. "There are three types of dials that are used almost exclusively for combat. Axe, Impact and Reject."

She stopped for a moment.

"Axe dials are used for cutting your opponents, while Impact deliver blunt force to the opponent. Reject is a stronger version of that dial." Conis continued. "Reject dials are said to be ten times stronger than Impact ones, but they harm the user. It's unlikely for a normal man to survive wielding a Reject dial."

Everyone's eyes widened. Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"So then, it's unlikely he was actually going to use an actual Reject dial?" Sanji asked.

"That's right." Conis replied. "Even if he somehow found one, it's doubtful he would use it."

'The reject dial could be very useful in Marineford if it comes to it.' Luffy thought. Then he raised his head in determination.

"Yosh, I've decided!" he announced. "I want a reject dial!"

Everyone looked at him in shock. Conis and her father paled at his words.

"Y-You can't be serious!" Conis stuttered. "Didn't you just hear what I said?"

Luffy looked at her with a determined expression.

"But I'm rubber, blunt attacks can't hurt me!" he told her. She looked at him oddly.

"I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, one of the devil fruits." he told her after a moment. She looked surprised. "And blunt damage means like a punch right? Punches don't hurt me!"

"I suppose that could work." Sanji spoke with a thoughtful expression.

"Well," Conis began again. "Even if it wouldn't harm you, there's still the matter of finding it. It's very rare. It's possible nobody has it."

Luffy deflated somewhat, but after a moment he regained his smile.

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky!" he announced. There was silence for a few moments.

"Hey where is Nami-san?" Sanji, who stood on the balcony asked. Everyone looked at him oddly.

"Shouldn't she be using the waver?" Usopp asked.

"Father, will she be okay?" Conis asked. He put down his fork.

"Yes, Conis-san. I also feel a bit unsettled." he replied.

"Why?" Luffy asked. "What's wrong?"

Conis turned to him.

"Here on Skypiea, there is a place you must never ever set foot on under any circumstances." she replied with a serious expression. Everyone looked at her.

"A place where you must never set foot on?" Usopp asked. "Why is that?"

"It's sacred ground!" Conis told the.

" … sacred ground?" Robin repeated. Conis nodded.

"We call that place the land where god resides, Upper Yard." she told them. Luffy stood up.

"The place where god resides?" he repeated. "A place where we must never set foot on?"

She nodded.

"By God, do you mean _the_ God?" Chopper asked. "God lives here?"

She nodded with a troubled expression. Luffy looked at his crew-member's and his eyes met Robin's. It seems they both noticed her change in demeanor.

"Yes, because Skypiea is God's land. It's ruled by the almighty God, Enel!" she replied.

'Almighty, eh?" Luffy thought and smirked. 'Quite an ego problem you have there, Enel!'

In the corner of his eyes he could see Zoro also smirking.

"God Enel knows everything that goes on in this world." Conis continued. He wondered if she actually believed that herself.

"Everything?" Usopp asked.

"Everything." Conis confirmed.

"What? Even right now?" Chopper asked. "He's watching us right now?"

"Humpf. God, eh?" Zoro huffed with an unimpressed sounding voice.

"Zoro, you don't believe in God?" Chopper asked. Zoro shrugged.

"Dunno. I don't care if he exists or not." he replied. "It never mattered to me one bit. Not that I have anything against anyone that wants to believe."

"Have you seen this _god_, Conis?" Luffy asked.

"No, I've never seen him!" Conis replied, waving her hands in front of her face. "We can't set foot on Upper Yard."

Luffy suddenly walked up to the balcony. When he turned around, he had stars in his eyes.

"Is that so?" he asked with a voice barely containing excitement. "A place where we must never ever ever set foot on?!"

Usopp cringed, while Chopper looked at him in awe. Zoro and Robin seemed amused.

"Hey, Luffy!" Usopp yelled and started shaking his cardigan. "What are you thinking right now? Listen to what she's saying!"

Robin glanced at Conis and her father, who surprisingly didn't seem to be offended one bit. They actually had resigned, somewhat solemn expressions.

"What is the punishment for entering?" Robin asked after a few moments.

"You will not return alive, I'm afraid. I'm sorry." the father told them. The cowardly duo present cringed at this. "It's sacrilege, so God will punish you. I'm sorry."

"How?" Luffy asked. They looked at him bewildered.

"E-Excuse me?" Conis asked. Luffy looked at her with a thoughtful expression.

"How does God punish those who break his laws?" Luffy asked. Then suddenly as she started to speak, he felt a familiar discharge of energy in the near distance and a man dying.

"Nevermind." Luffy interrupted. "Lightning, right?"

Everyone looked at him in surprise. Conis and her father seemed shocked.

"How did you-" she started.

"I just felt someone die on Upper Yard by lighting." Luffy interrupted.

"Felt?" Conis asked with a wide-eyed expression. "You have Mantra?"

Luffy nodded. The crew looked at them with surprised expressions.

"It's known as observation haki on the blue sea." Luffy said after sensing their confusion.

"Never mind that!" Sanji yelled.

"It wasn't Nami-swan, right?" he said and gritted his teeth. Luffy shook his head.

"She hasn't entered Upper Yard. She's afraid though. She'll probably return here soon." he explained. Everyone sighed in relief.

"Wait!" Zoro exclaimed. "You can sense all the way up there?"

Luffy nodded.

"Good observation haki users have a long range of vision."

* * *

Somewhere in the sky, Enel smirked.

"Yahahahaha! How interesting." he exclaimed. "A mantra user from the blue sea?"

"Would you like some apples, Kami-sama?" an attractive woman asked and offered him a golden plate full of them.

"Oh you are just too kind! Yahahahaha!"

* * *

_So, this chapter is finally finished. :D I hope you liked it. By the way, this week the updates __should be__ regular from now on (since I only have one more exam tomorrow and I'm going scouting so to speak, since I haven't had enough time to prepare for this one anyway). The next week is questionable however, since I'm probably going to take 3 or 4 of them then. _

_I hope you liked the interactions. By the way, the Zoro-Sanji thing ... If anyone got the impression (though I'm not sure how) that I'm going to do Yaoi with them, then he or she is wrong. That was a joke __only__. I'm only saying this because in fanfiction people often see or expect romance where there isn't any, at least from my experience. I've also decided that if I do (or rather further develop, since I've already hinted at it) any pairing, it'll most definitely be Robin-Luffy. I'm not sure how far I'll go though. I might just leave it where it is now. Don't know. But we'll see. (For those who don't want any kind of romance - don't worry. Even if I do decide to expand on the pairing, romance will never dictate the flow of the story in any way. Ever.)_

_I have two questions for you readers though, so please answer them if you review. Warning: you might get spoiled in regards to my future plans if you read them. Not that much, but still._

_**1.**__ How much do you feel that golden pillar is worth? Definitely enough to keep the crew covered for a VERY long, long, LONG time, but how much would you think is appropriate. I actually got an answer for this from Nitishu, one of the readers already. She told me the approximate value in her opinion would be about 1,63 trillion (yes, you heard right) Berry. The logic behind it seemed pretty sound to me. If they got the whole pillar though. How would you feel about horribly rich Straw-hats? I mean, I could probably make it work I think, since money was never a real big part of the story (except the Water 7 arc maybe when they thought they lost it all). So, please give your own opinions on this. I haven't decided on anything regarding this yet, so feel free to try to influence me. I have some ideas for the money use though. (By the way, I'm not saying I'm necessarily going with 1,63 trillion. It does seem a really absurd amount.)_

_**2.**__ How do think Chopper compares to New World doctors in terms of skill? I'm referring to his skill of treating disease specifically. I think you all know why I'm asking this. It's impossible to ask this question without leaking a part of my plan. :(_

_Whether or not you read and are considering those questions, I thank you for reading. Please review if you will. Also, I'd like to once again thank all of you readers, reviewers, likers, followers, whatever of those you might be. The response to this fic is incredible. When I started this, I thought I'd get like 5 readers and one review per chapter or something like that. :) I'm glad I was mistaken, so thanks again!_


	40. The jerks that protect and serve

**40. The jerks that protect and serve**

„You're the seven illegal entrants from the blue sea, right?" the captain of the crawling weirdos, known as the White Berets asked. "We are here to bestow heaven's judgment upon you!"

The two hosts were shocked by those words.

"Illegal entrants?" Pagaya, the father of Conis asked.

The Straw-hats stared at the group of enforcers.

"Illegal entrants?" Luffy asked. Conis and her father looked at them.

"I-Is it true?" Pagaya asked in fear.

"There's no use denying it." the enforcer chief announced and pulled a few pictures from his pocket. They turned out to be pictures of the Straw-hats. "The Heaven's gate lookout, Amazon, has taken these pictures with her Vision dial."

"No, that isn't possible!" Pagaya defended them. "That must be some mistake, Captain McKinley! They aren't bad people!"

"Why is he calling us illegal entrants for?" Sanji asked. Robin looked at him.

"Well, he's probably referring to the billion Extols we were each supposed to pay. We certainly didn't do that." she told him.

"B-But that old woman said we could pass without paying." Usopp defended. Chopper confirmed this.

"It'll do you no good." the captain of the enforcers replied. "Please no excuses. Just accept your guilt. However there is no need for worry."

Everyone looked at him.

"Illegal entry is a minor, class 11 crime." the man continued. "Once you've received your punishment you can return to the status of peaceful tourists."

"Well, why didn't you say so sooner." Sanji answered. "I'm still not too happy about it, but what's this punishment?"

"You simply need to pay 10 times the entry fee. Which would be 70 billion Extol for all seven of you." the man answered. "If you pay immediately, your crime will be immediately erased."

"H-How much is that in Berry?" Usopp asked.

"Berry?" the man repeated. "The currency of the Blue sea, right? I believe 10.000 Extol equals one Berry. So that means you're required to pay 7.000.000 Berry."

Sanji's cigarette dropped from his mouth.

"That's too much!" Sanji yelled. "Do you know how much food I could buy with that?"

"I second that." Luffy interjected. Sanji glared at him and then looked back at the captain of the enforcers.

"Why do we have to pay such a ridiculous amount when we risked our lives to get up here?!" Sanji finished. McKinley sighed.

"In that case, you should have just paid the entry fee of 700.000 Berry!" he told them.

"THAT'S STILL TOO EXPENSIVE!" Sanji yelled with a twitch in his eye.

"Now let me warn you." the captain began. "We White Berets act under direct orders from the Priests. Refusal will increase the severity of your punishment."

After a while, the Straw-hats dispersed, though everyone except Sanji stayed close. Sanji went to bring a few of those melons.

The enforcer then noticed the ruined waver that they possessed.

"That waver there seems to be broken." he announced. "If that's your doing, that's a class 10 offense. Destruction of Sky Island property by Blue sea dwellers that is."

"No, no, I'm sorry!" Pagaya interrupted. "That's actually their property."

"Their property?" McKinley asked. "That's quite suspicious. There aren't supposed to be any wavers on the Blue sea. If it was stolen, if would be class-"

"We didn't steal it." Luffy interrupted. "We found in a ship that fell from the White sea."

"That's highly questionable." Mckinley replied and sighed. "But I guess its possible."

Then Luffy ran towards Usopp who was trying to catch a fish with his fishing pole.

'This should be fun.' Luffy thought and smirked. Usopp then seemed to have caught something. He tried to pull it, but it was too much for him.

"A good catch, eh, Usopp?" Luffy commented and patted Usopp on the back. Usopp smiled and continued pulling. Luffy and Chopper joined to help him pull it up, but when they finally succeeded, the fish jumped out from the sea, freeing itself from the fishing pole. The fish headed straight for Conis with its mouth wide open, the intention obvious. Conis screamed in fear. Zoro jumped in the air and hit the fish with the back of his sword and then kicked it down into the ground. Everyone ran towards the fish and looked at it.

"What is that?" Usopp questioned.

"Another funky fish." Chopper answered. "It was about to eat Conis!"

"So this is another type of skyfish?" Zoro questioned.

"Ah, excuse me!" Pagaya interrupted their conversation. "Thank you for saving Conis-san!"

"Father, that fish-" Conis began.

"Well, well, well!" McKinley announced in a reprimanding tone. "This is a rare type of skyfish! It's capture is prohibited. You have violated the law protecting rare species! That a class 9 crime!"

Luffy smirked again. Robin noticed that.

"How is that a crime?" Usopp asked. "It was attacking Conis!"

McKinley laughed.

"Zoro, did you finish it off?" Usopp asked. Zoro shook his head.

"No, hit it with the back of the sword." he replied. Usopp sighed in relief.

"Then if we release it, there's no harm done?" Usopp asked. He kicked the fish and it woke up and started moving its tail.

"YOSH!" Luffy announced and drool started leaking from his mouth. He stretched over to the fish, getting Usopp out of the way. Then he opened his mouth wide …

"There, you can't deny now that you were trying to eat it!" McKinley announced, a bit too happily for everyone's tastes.

But, contrary to everyone's expectantions, Luffy blew some air at the bump on the head of the fish. He then turned around and looked confused at McKinley. Almost everyone freaked out because of Luffy's uncharacteristic behavior. As they did so, Luffy smirked smugly.

'Is he mocking me?' McKinley thought. Robin also noticed his smirk.

'Was he planning this?' she thought with widened eyes. Zoro however was less than pleased by the man's constant crime accusations. He gripped his katana.

"Standing around listening to this guy go on and on about bullshit crimes is pissing me off." Zoro spoke in a low tone. "If he doesn't stop it-"

Usopp grabbed Zoro and restrained him.

"Your behavior right now was quite threatening." McKinley began with a smirk. "Such behavior is deserving of class 7 crime."

"Sorry." Luffy interrupted with a smirk of his own. Everyone looked at him. "But you have no way of knowing what Zoro would have said. For all you know he meant to say that he was going to slap you with a banana or give you a tissue."

Everyone of the crew stared wide-eyed at Luffy.

"He was gripping his weapon!" McKinley defended. Luffy shook his head.

"Zoro's white katana is from his friend." Luffy began. "He often touches it to make sure it's still there."

"But-" McKinley tried to say.

"So you really have no reason to punish us." Luffy finished with a huge mocking grin. "We're still on class 11."

McKinley gritted his teeth in anger. Every Straw-hat eye that was present was bulged out.

'How can Navigator-san and Cook-san possibly think this man is stupid?!' Robin mused with a slightly parted mouth.

"Ah, guys!" Luffy asked with a large grin as he turned around. "What did I say?"

"Nothing!" everyone muttered while waving their hands in front of their faces.

"Something's fishy here!" Chopper yelled. "He's trying to make us look more guilty!"

Usopp nearly got a heart attack.

"Chopper!" he yelled at his friend. "Don't say things that'll make it worse!"

"But we can't do anything with them around!" Chopper yelled. Usopp suddenly got a light-bulb.

"Anything?!" he repeated. Then he punched his fist into his palm. "Then lets not do anything! Let's take a nap!"

Everyone except Robin laid on the ground and started snoring. Both their friends and the captain sweat-dropped.

"Making such a contemptuous sound at the serene angel beach." McKinley began once again. "You are guilty of environmental pollution. This is a class 6 crime!"

"Oi, you can't even snore?" Usopp yelled in disbelief.

'These laws are ridiculous!' Robin thought. Zoro gripped his katana. Usopp jumped in front of him to prevent him from attacking.

"Yes, but!" Luffy began with another mocking smirk. "We weren't actually hurting or disrupting anything."

"You were disrupting us!" McKinley said and pointed at himself and their two hosts.

"Conis and her father didn't seem to mind us sleeping. Neither did their pet." Luffy replied with a smile. McKinley again gritted his teeth.

"What about us?!" he yelled and pointed at himself and the officers far behind. Luffy grinned.

"You're enforcers. You haven't come here to relax." Luffy continued. McKinley's face reddened in anger. "You've come here to make us look guilty."

Everyone looked at Luffy in shock.

'Like I thought.' Robin concluded in her thoughts. 'He knew all along.'

"Hey everyone!" Sanji yelled from the nearby forest, carrying lots of melons in his hands. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Sanji!" Chopper started. "We-"

"WAIT A MINUTE!" Nami yelled from the distance, interrupting them.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji yelled with a heart in his eye. "You're safe!"

"LUFFY, DON'T MAKE THESE GUYS MAD!" she yelled as she approached them with the waver. Luffy rolled his eyes and sighed in irritation. He didn't reply though.

"Nami, use your money to pay the 7.000.000 Berry illegal entrance fee!" Usopp yelled.

"That's great!" she replied. "So this can be settled if we just pay a fine!"

Then her eyes darkened.

"7.000.000 Berry … That's ..."

She crashed into McKinley.

"WAY TOO MUCH!" she yelled with shark teeth. Luffy face-palmed and Robin as well as Zoro chuckled at his reaction.

"What crime level are we now?" Zoro asked Conis as Nami returned the waver to her father.

"Class 5, obstruction of a public servant." Conis answered.

"Good, it's still only 5!" Usopp sighed in relief.

"It's not good!" she yelled. "It's death sentence!"

"WHAAAT?!"

* * *

After a few minutes …

* * *

"I'm telling you, Luffy! It's too dangerous!" Nami said. Luffy just smirked and put a hand on her shoulder.

"City of Gold, Nami!" he told her.

"But it's too dangerous!" she yelled.

"A _billion_ Berry, Nami!" he said. "No, maybe not just a billion. Maybe _billions_!"

Her eyes turned into Berry. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Please run away!" Conis yelled from the distance. Surrounding her and her father were the White Berets. "Hurry!"

"That's enough, young lady!" McKinley began. "Know that if you aid these criminals, you could become one yourself!"

He smirked.

"For repeated abusive language towards us and the obstruction of a public servant, you are sentenced to cloud-drifting!" he announced.

"But I said it was an accident!" Nami yelled. Zoro shook his head.

"Really, Nami? Couldn't you have reacted a bit less violently?" he asked. She glared at him.

"You guys have nothing to talk about!" she yelled. "I bet you did all sorts of crimes while I was gone!"

"Actually … " Robin began. Nami looked at her with widened eyes. "Captain-san had the situation well under control until you came, Navigator-san."

"What?!" she yelled and pointed at Luffy who seemed to be getting annoyed. "Him?"

"Yes, him, Navigator-san." Robin confirmed. Nami sighed.

"So, this is all my fault?" she asked.

"Yes." everyone answered at the same time, except Sanji who didn't say anything.

"THAT'S WAY TOO BLUNT!" Nami yelled at them.

"ARREST THEM!" McKinley yelled. The enforcers raised their bows and fired some unusual looking arrows. Everyone somehow dodged those arrows, but it became clear that hitting them was not the real intention. The arrows created some sort of cloud paths in the air. The enforcers used the clouds in combination with their skate-like dial-powered footwear to gain an advantage. They each carried two blades.

Luffy just sat down and let his nakama deal with them, occasionally dodging a swipe aimed at him.

* * *

A few minutes later ...

Luffy, Sanji and Usopp watched into the distance as the giant speedy crab took their ship and the rest of their nakama with it. Luffy glanced at Conis who wore a guilty and sad expression.

* * *

_Okay! Major repeating of stuff is done for a while now! Next chapter should be about the travel to Upper Yard and maybe even about the battle with the priest. The only thing I'm not sure of is how to deal with Conis' punishment in that next bit. Should I make Luffy stop her from saying anything? Should I make history repeat itself? Should I make Luffy reveal his immunity to lightning to Enel this early? Ah, decisions, decisions ..._

_By the way, I hope you like how Luffy handled McKinley. Also, if you remember the original scenes, you'll notice that this was a bit different. Robin wasn't there with them in the "first life" when they were getting accused of crimes and when the white berets injured captain returned, almost everyone was on the ship. I've just changed it up a bit. _

_I hope you liked this chapter. Please review. I'll have you know I haven't yet decided on what to do with the golden pillar. But there's still time for that. A few chapters at least._


	41. A challenge to the gods

**41. I have no idea what to name this**

Luffy, Sanji, Usopp and Conis had just made their way through Lovely street. As expected, everyone did their best to avoid them. Then they finally reached the boats and Conis offered them her own.

„Oi, Conis." Luffy began. „Why have you been trembling all this time?"

Conis' eyes widened in horror and she started sweating.

The people watching them also paled.

„That guy … „ said Captain McKinley, who watched hidden behind a pillar. „He wouldn't?"

„Does it look that way?" Conis asked. Luffy nodded.

„Yeah, almost like you're afraid of something." he answered.

„He wouldn't … He can't!" the captain whispered.

„Conis-chwan, you must be worried about us!" Sanji announced cheerfully. „That's so sweet of you!"

Conis smiled in relief.

„But are you guys going to be okay?" Usopp asked. „The people in town all avoided us … but you're lending us your boat? And you even told us the way. Isn't this going to make you look like an accomplice?"

Conis sweated. She had a troubled expression.

"You look pale." Luffy added. "If you were scared, you could have stayed at home."

She gulped. Everyone looked at the scene in shock.

"No." she said after a moment. She hesitated. "I … It's not what you think."

She looked at him.

"It did seem strange, didn't it? Politely telling you the route to the ordeals. Coming with you here. All while saying the ordeals are more fearsome than death. As if I was leading you here."

"YOU, STOP!" McKinley yelled. "DON'T SAY ANYTHING!"

People started backing away as far as they could, even though they were already a good distance away from her. Sanji looked at them.

'Could it be … are they all in on this?' he thought. He turned back to her. Luffy's gaze did not leave Conis.

She bit her lip. She seemed both sad, scared and most of all regretful.

Suddenly she fell on the ground, now trembling uncontrollably.

"Please get out of here!" she yelled. She looked on the ground. "I'M SO SORRY!"

She started crying.

"STOP!" one of the onlookers yelled at her.

"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!" another shouted.

"I was-" she started, but her words were muffled. Everyone looked in surprise as Luffy's outstretched hand covered her mouth. Everyone stared in bewilderment and shock at the Straw Hat captain.

"I saw." he said simply. Conis' eyes widened in shock at the simple words. His two crew-members looked at him in confusion. He let go of her mouth.

McKinley and the other onlookers looked at him in complete shock.

"Then, you must hate me. I-" she started.

"Don't be an idiot." Luffy interrupted her. She looked at his face in shock. "You had no choice, right?"

"Hey, what's-" Usopp began, but Sanji put a hand on his shoulder. Usopp looked at Sanji, who shook his head, preventing him from continuing.

Conis nodded as more tears streamed down her face. Luffy crouched on the ground and to the surprise of everyone hugged her.

"It's okay." he said to her. "I don't blame you."

She nodded and looked on the ground. He stood up after a while and looked around.

"I know you're listening, _god_." Luffy spoke, spitting out the last word like a curse. "There was no need to involve Conis in such a way."

In the shrine of god, high in the sky, Enel smirked to himself.

"We'd have went regardless." Luffy continued. "I think I'll enjoy your shitty little challenges. They might be fun."

'Luffy just used the word 'shitty'.' Usopp thought to himself. 'And why is he so eager to get us into trouble?'

'I wonder what happened with Conis-chan.' Sanji thought. McKinley, who stood behind the wall shook his head.

'They're always this eager in the beginning.' he thought. He saw Luffy smirked.

"If you are god, Enei or whatever your name is … " Luffy continued, saying the name wrong on purpose. Everyone cringed upon hearing the mistake. "Then what do you call a man who defeats a god? You have until I reach you to think that out."

Everyone stared in complete and utter shock at Luffy. He smirked.

* * *

Meanwhile at the god's shrine …

Enel stared at empty air for a few moments with a slightly shocked expression, but then he regained his arrogant smirk.

"Yahahahaha! What delicious insolence!" Enel yelled out. His hand was suddenly surrounded with electrical energy. "I'll show you the power of god, Straw Hat!"

He laughed some more.

* * *

A few minutes later and an explanation later …

* * *

"S-S-So which door will we choose?" Usopp asked as they stood before four entrances. Luffy looked at him oddly.

"W-What?" he asked.

"We have iron, string, swamp and balls. Isn't the choice obvious? Shishishishi!" Luffy asked.

"How is it obvious?" Sanji asked with a confused expression.

"Yeah, I don't get it either, Luffy!" Usopp asked. Luffy blinked a few times and sighed.

"Look, we're all guys, right?!" he asked. They looked at him oddly.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Sanji asked. Luffy shook his head in apparent annoyance.

"We all have kintama!" Luffy whined. Both of his crew-members blinked a few times. Then they both face-palmed.

"I really don't get your sense of logic, Captain." Sanji sighed. Usopp looked at Luffy.

"Balls of Gold? Really, Luffy?" he asked in an annoyed voice. Luffy shrugged.

"Shishishishi! I thought that's what everyone called them." he said. The two shook their heads.

"Anyway, shithead!" Sanji began. "Unless you have a better explanation for your choice, we're going to choose!"

"NO, NO!" Luffy yelled. They both looked at him in annoyance. "Balls sounds fun! Shishishi!"

"Fun?" Sanji repeated. "How so?"

"I don't think ordeals are supposed to be fun, Luffy." Usopp said in a deadpanned expression.

"Well, maybe we'll have to like play a game where we have to choose the right ball. Or we'll have to make sure a ball doesn't hit the ground or it'll explode." he explained.

Sanji gained a thoughtful expression.

"Well, it's possible." he said after a moment of silence. Usopp sighed.

"I don't think it'll be as fun as Luffy thinks." Usopp replied. "But I do think it sounds like the least dangerous. I mean, it's pretty easy to see how iron would be deadly … "

He cringed as he imagined a 100 ton weight falling on top of their little ship.

" … it's pretty obvious what swamp does … "

He imagined himself sinking.

" … string doesn't sound too bad, but then again … "

He imagined himself trying to get across to the other side by only using a rope connected on both ends with only empty space beneath them.

" … balls sounds okay, but that could be a trick!" he finished.

"Well, balls it is, then!" Sanji announced and took their tiny little dial-boat to the right. They entered the entrance and found themselves in a dark tunnel. Luffy smirked as he remembered something. It was dark, so they didn't see it.

"You know, guys." he began. "This reminds me of something."

They looked in his direction.

"W-W-What?" Usopp asked. Luffy grinned.

"You know how there were four doors?" he asked with a grin.

"Y-Yes." Usopp confirmed, getting a worse feeling every second.

"One of them is a prize door and the rest are all losing ones." Luffy replied.

"Huh, what the hell?!" Usopp yelled. "Why are you saying that NOW?! What if we chose wrong?"

"Well … " Luffy continued, pretending to think about it. "If we're wrong, we'll probably fall off the Sky Island! Shishishishishi!"

"I'M NOT FALLING OFF ANYTHING!" Usopp yelled with razor-sharp teeth. "You know, it's 10.000 meters from here to the Blue Sea! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TIMES LIFE WOULD FLASH BEFORE YOUR EYES DURING THAT FALL!?"

Luffy just laughed joyfully.

"Enough of this dumb shit." Sanji announced. "There's no way th-"

And at that moment they fell. Luffy just grinned while the faces of the other two changed to ones of pure horror.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Usopp yelled with bulged eyes. "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!"

Luffy laughed like a maniac.

After a moment, they hit the river on the bottom.

For several moments, both Usopp and Sanji breathed like they were drowning moments ago.

"We're alive." Sanji gasped out. Usopp was in the worst state. Her lay on the ship, crying comically.

"I thought … " he mumbled. "I thought for sure we were going to die … "

"Shishishishishi! That was too fun!" Luffy shouted. "We should do that again! Shishishishi!"

"NOOO!" Usopp yelled. Sanji kept kicking Luffy in the head.

"THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" he yelled. "IT'S ALL BECAUSE OF YOUR DUMBASS STORY!"

"Shishishishishi! Were you scared, Sanji?" Luffy asked. Sanji huffed.

"I wasn't scared." Sanji said in an unconvincing voice. "I was startled!"

"Shishishishi! Sanji was scared!" Luffy yelled. Sanji kicked him angrily.

"I SAID I WASN'T SCARED!" he roared. Luffy laughed.

"I'll have to tell Zoro about this! Shishishishi!" he continued.

"Don't you dare- I MEAN I WASN'T SCARED!" Sanji yelled and kicked him again. "IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT ANYWAY!"

"Shishishishi! Sorry, sorry, Sanji!" Luffy apologized insincerely. Sanji sighed and stepped over to the driver's seat and sat down.

"Anyway, what's all this?" he asked as he looked around. There were white balls everywhere.

"Are you stupid, Sanji?!" Luffy yelled. Sanji gained a tick above his eye. "It's balls. Balls. It's the ordeal of balls."

"I KNOW THAT, SHITHEAD!" Sanji yelled and barely prevented himself from standing up and kicking the rubber captain again.

"Anyway." he sighed as he continued. "Those seem to be little balls of island cloud."

Luffy laughed.

"Awesome!" he said in an excited tone. "They look like huge snowballs! This place is so weird! It's funny! Shishishishi!"

"And the milky road is going up the trees." Sanji continued. Luffy scratched his head.

"But what's the ordeal here?" he asked, although he already knew the answer.

"No idea." Sanji replied. "It'd be great if nothing happened, but I doubt we'll be so lucky."

"Lucky?" Luffy repeated. "How would missing all the fun and excitement be lucky?!"

"Well, you have a point there." Sanji agreed. Usopp, who just recovered from his panic attack, shook his head.

"You guys aren't normal." Usopp whispered. Luffy looked at him oddly.

"You aren't normal, Usopp!" he told him. Usopp looked at him with confusion.

"W-What do you mean?" he asked him. Luffy sat down on the boat.

"Well, we're not afraid because we're really strong, right?" he asked. Usopp nodded. "Isn't that pretty normal?"

Usopp gained a thoughtful expression.

"I guess it is." he said after a while. "But why am I the abnormal one? I'm scared. That's normal too."

Luffy looked at him with a soft smile.

"Well, I for example aren't scared because I know that whatever happens, I probably won't die." Luffy continued. "But you don't know that. And yet you're still here with us."

"But I run away all the time." Usopp told him honestly for once. "Even though our friends are in danger, the only thing I wanted to do in Lovely street was run away."

"Yes, you run away." Luffy told him. "But then you stop."

Usopp looked at him with a shocked expression.

"But, I-" he started to say.

"It's much more brave to fight when you're afraid then when you aren't. Even if you do run away at first." Luffy told him with a grin.

"Luffy … " Usopp whispered.

Sanji, who was at the steering wheel shook his head with a small smile of his own.

"Anyway, let's eat!" Luffy announced.

"WAY TO RUIN A MOMENT, LUFFY!" Sanji shouted. Then he sighed. "And you're not eating. We're in enemy territory here. So keep a lookout."

He continued driving the little boat towards the destination.

* * *

"Usopp, pass!" Luffy said and threw him the little cloud ball lightly. His friend hit the ball back lightly. Luffy returned him the ball.

Suddenly a snake appeared out of the ball and tried to bite Usopp, who barely dodged. Luffy punched the ball away.

"Shishishishishi! Surprise balls? This is going to be fun!" Luffy announced in an excited tone.

"I SAID TO KEEP A LOOKOUT!" Sanji yelled at them. But when he turned back to steering, a giant cloud ball appeared in front of him.

"Shitty balls!" he yelled and stood up.

"It's 'golden' balls, Sanji!" Luffy whined. Sanji's eye twitched.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled at him. He tried to kick the big ball away, but it only moved a little bit. Then it exploded right in his face.

"Ho, Ho, Hooo! So, do you like my surprise balls?" a high-pitched voice asked. Everyone looked up. On top of a big cloud ball sat a very round man with yellow glasses, red hair and a simple straw hat.

"Thank you for choosing my ordeal of balls. Ho, ho, hooo!" the man told them. Everyone sweat-dropped.

"Did that ball just speak?" Luffy asked.

"HEY, THAT'S RUDE!"

* * *

_Okay, I'm done here. Since I haven't uploaded a chapter for two days (retarded crap at home is the cause) I'll upload another today (hopefully). Originally I intended to put the fight here in this chapter as well, but then it'd take to long to upload. So next one, Satori._

_To be honest, I'm not too happy with this chapter. Don't know why. _

_I hope you liked how Luffy made Usopp feel a little bit better about himself. Did it feel too forced? Everytime I reread that it sounds worse to me. :(_

_Why did Luffy use the word 'shitty'? Don't know, I just felt like it. Though I think you always assimilate the words people around you use (or in shows that you watch or whatever) and start to use them yourself. _

_Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and please review. Another one will probably come today. (Today for me at least. It's 15.20 right now in my case)_


	42. Without (visible) bushy chest hair

**42. Without (visible) bushy chest hair**

One of the priests of god Enel, the round man of the appropriately named ordeal of balls jumped around on his own personal floating ball.

"STOP DANCING!" Sanji yelled with razor-sharp teeth.

"Aren't the priests supposed to be really strong?" Usopp asked. "He just looks stupid to me."

"Oi, don't underestimate him, Usopp." Luffy told him. "Looks aren't everything."

He looked at the priest for a moment.

"Though I admit he really looks stupid. And fat." Luffy admitted after a few minutes. "Hey do you have chest hair? And do you like pies by any chance?"

"WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING!?" both Usopp and Sanji yelled at once.

"Hey, answer me!" Luffy yelled. The priest stopped jumping for a moment.

"I do like pies." he replied. "They're good! Ho, Ho, Hoooo!"

"BASTARD! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!" Luffy yelled at the enemy. Both of his crew-members fell down anime-style.

"Hey, round guy!" Sanji yelled after a few moments. "Nami-san and the others better be okay!"

"Oh, the sacrifices?" the man asked. "No idea! Ho, Ho, Hooo! But if they stay where they are, they'll die. If they move they'll also die! Ho, Ho, Hoooo!"

"Why you shitty bastard!" Sanji cursed.

"You should be more worried about yourselves!" the priest continued. "To be blunt, you'll have to defeat me before you can move ahead."

He jumped down towards their little boat.

"Here he comes!" Usopp yelled. "Kick his ass, Luffy!"

Luffy however had a different idea. He plopped down on the ground.

"Oh, no." Usopp repeated with horror in his eyes. "No, no, no. Come on, don't do this, Luffy."

"Sorry, Usopp." Luffy apologized, sincerely this time. "But you need the training."

The priest was fast approaching.

"Yosh, Usopp." Sanji announced. "We'll have to take care of this."

Sanji knew that if Luffy bothered to apologize, this opponent had to be at least reasonably strong.

He leaped in the air and prepared a kick.

"**COLLIER …** " Sanji announced.

"An upper kick using the right foot." the priest announced. He moved his body back to dodge the kick and moved his right palm right into Sanji's face.

"**Impact.**" he announced and the dial, hidden in his glove activated.

To Usopp's horror, Sanji was blown away into a big tree.

"SANJI!" he yelled. "You can't be seriously hurt from a weak punch like that!"

"Oh, but it's not a punch!" the priest announced. "It's a little different from that."

"Who are you anyway?" Luffy asked. Usopp turned around with a disbelieving face.

"Hey, Luffy!" he yelled. "Be a little more worried about Sanji!"

"Sanji's strong. He's fine." Luffy told him. True to his word, Sanji stood up, muttering curses.

"So you're a priest." Sanji asked from beneath a tree.

"That's right!" the round man replied. "My name is Satori. I'm one of the priests who serve our almighty god, Enel! I control the Vearth of the Lost Forest!"

"Lost forest?" Luffy repeated.

The man looked at him arrogantly.

"Yes." he answered. "That's the name of this forest. Ho, Ho, Hooo!"

"Why is it called 'lost' though?" Usopp asked. The priest looked at him with an unsettling grin.

"Well … " Satori began and raised his hand. "**Impact!**"

Usopp was sent flying. The priest then turned his attention to Luffy, who continued to sit.

"Ho, ho, Hooo! And now for you." he said and put his right palm right into Luffy's face. "Aren't you going to resist?"

"Did anyone ever tell you to restrain yourself when eating?" Luffy asked casually. There was silence for a few moments.

"YOU'RE THE LAST PERSON WHO CAN SAY THAT, LUFFY!" Sanji yelled from beneath, though in earnest he barely fought off a smirk from Luffy's blunt but somewhat hypocritical remark.

"Oh, why is that?" Luffy asked in confusion.

"STOP INSULTING ME!" Satori shouted. "**Impact!**"

Luffy however jumped in the air, dodging the burst of the impact dial.

"**Armament.**" Luffy murmured and his right arm blackened. He landed on the back of the boat.

'He's fast.' Satori thought. 'I barely followed his movement.'

"I'll ignore you if I want to, Ballery!" Luffy said with a smirk. The priest's face twitched.

"That was completely wrong!" he yelled. "It's SATORI!"

"Whatever." Luffy mumbled and waved his left arm in dismissal.

'Why is his right hand black?' the priest thought. The Straw Hat pirate then pulled his right arm back.

'He's going to stretch.' the priest thought.

"**Gomu Gomu no Pistol!**" Luffy announced and punched forward. The arm stretched forward, barely missing the priest by a millimeter. The fist hit one of the huge trees of the Lost Forest in its huge trunk. Luffy pulled his arm back and it quickly snapped back into original position.

There was silence for a few moments and then to everyone's horror, the tree trunk cracked and the huge treetop fell down on the ground.

'All that from just one punch?' the round priest thought in panic and horror.

"**Gomu Gomu no ...**" Luffy announced. The priest turned his head. Luffy used his Soru and was already near him, ready to whip him away. He moved his right hand in Luffy's face.

"**Impact.**" he announced, but to his surprise, Luffy wasn't blown away, only his head was. It snapped right back into position.

"**Muchi!**" Luffy completed his attack name and Satori was sent flying into a tree. He didn't use any haki however.

Sanji used this opportunity to act and he jumped into the air. He landed a kick straight in the enemies enormous stomach.

Satori spat out a bit of blood as he landed on the ground. Sanji attacked once again, but the priest quickly got up, avoiding the kick that was aimed for his head.

"**Impact!**" he yelled and put his hand in Sanji's face, but at that moment, Usopp shot a gunpowder star straight at him, forcing him to move to avoid it. In doing so, he had to retract his hand, which meant the blast was wasted on thin air.

Sanji smiled and prepared to kick again. Usopp prepared himself for battle as well. Luffy observed as Sanji's kick missed the priest by a millimeter and he got hit with a simple gunpowder star.

'His observation haki is decent and he's quite tough, but he's not really skilled.' Luffy thought as Sanji's kick brushed the priest's side, causing him pain. 'His only way of attacking are his dials. He's forgotten about his surprise balls. He's barely concentrated enough to use his mantra now that he knows how strong I am.'

"**Impact!**" the priest yelled. Sanji was sent flying into the ground. Satori jumped at him, attempting to use his dial to finish him off, but he had to avoid gunpowder stars, rubber bands and various random objects from hitting him, so he didn't really have time to use his dial on Sanji.

Irritated, Satori ran towards Usopp, while dodging his attacks and getting hit by some.

'He's going to get to him.' Luffy thought and unsheathed his sword. Just as he was about to slash, Sanji quickly got up and with a kick aimed for the priests head, sent his foe flying away from Usopp. Luffy smiled proudly.

The priest jumped back up. His yellow glasses were now broken and his hat had long since fallen off. He looked really nervous.

He ran towards his foes. Sanji attempted a kick on his foe, but the priest barely dodged it. After that however, he jumped towards Sanji, using his sheer weight to both damage and restrain the cook. As the cook lay on the ground, bloodied and restrained, attempting to get out of his opponent's grip, the priest moved his palm towards Sanji's face.

"**Akainami(red wave)!**" Luffy announced and slashed from the right to the left with Ashita no Kanashimi, sending a compressed air cut towards him. The priest pushed his head down to dodge the blast, but Sanji headbutted him, sending his head back up. The air blast didn't seriously damage the priest, but it did cut most of his hair on top of his head.

"Don't forget that I'm still here, round guy." Luffy announced from the boat on top of the milky road. "Be a good training dummy."

Sanji looked at Satori, who was still on top of him and looked in Luffy's direction in what seemed like a completely panicked expression. Most of the hair no top of his hair was completely gone. The sight would have been comical for the cook, had he not been restrained and nearly impacted a while ago by that same man.

'Training?' Satori thought as he gritted his teeth in panic. 'Is that all I am to him?'

He released his previously iron grip from Sanji and upon feeling that, Sanji managed to free his right leg. He kicked the priest from the side and he went flying a short distance. Immediately upon stopping, he received a gunpowder star in his face.

Finally he collapsed on the ground. Usopp sighed in relief, lowered his weapon and sat on the ground. Sanji picked himself up and stood up.

"Damn fat bastard." he muttered. "If he didn't have that mantra thing, this wouldn't have been nearly as hard."

"HEY GUYS!" Luffy yelled. They both looked up to him. He stretched both of his hands, grabbing each of them. He pulled them up, ignoring their panicked yelling. They prepared to hit the boat hard or even to fall off it upon arriving back, but none of that happened. Instead, Luffy slowed his stretching after they were close and then gently put them on the boat.

They stared at him for a moment in surprise, but then just decided to just be thankful for the gentler-than-normal treatment.

"Thanks, Luffy." Sanji begun, but Luffy cut him off with his hand.

"I shouldn't have even forced you to fight him." Luffy said, obviously sorry. He looked on the ground. "He could have killed you."

To his surprise, Sanji laughed. He lightly punched Luffy in the shoulder. Luffy looked up.

"Don't be stupid, Captain." he told him. "I know how strong you are. I'll never be able to match up to you, if you shelter me too much!"

Luffy smiled.

"That must have been the impact dial." he told them. Sanji nodded.

"That bastard would be nothing without those dials or observation haki." he told the captain. "I'm kinda ashamed of getting hurt this badly."

Luffy nodded.

"He even dodged sloppily." he added. "And kept losing control of his mantra."

"You obviously scared him too much with that punch, Luffy." Usopp told him. Luffy scratched his head in embarrassment and laughed.

"Shishishishi! I guess I did." he replied. "I guess you don't exactly see that every day!"

"Though did you really have to completely destroy that tree?" Sanji asked in a deadpanned expression. Luffy pouted.

"I might have overdone it." he replied. Both of his crew-members sighed.

"Hey, let's eat, guys!" he told them.

"Sure. The priest is down, so we might as well do that." Sanji replied. "But let's get this boat moving again first."

Then he remembered something.

"Luffy!" he called. Said captain turned his head and quirked an eyebrow. "Something strange happened when the priest had me pinned down."

"What?" Luffy asked.

"It's as if I saw into the future!" the cook explained. Luffy's eyes widened in realization. "I saw the guy pound my head into the ground with that shitty dial."

Luffy gained an enormous grin.

"That's observation haki, Sanji." he told him with an excited tone. "It seems it's activated itself."

* * *

_Hey guys. As promised, another chapter is here. I hope you like it! _

_What are your general thoughts on the battle? I thought it'd be a little hard on the Sanji and Usopp, since even all three of them had a lot of trouble with the priest the first time. Mantra users are tricky to beat after all, even inexperienced ones._

_Okay, now I think I'll address a few of the criticisms (those that are on my mind right now at least). This may be very long. Skip ahead (or skip entirely) if you don't feel like reading. _

_A few (two I think) users complained the pace is too slow, while a few complained that it's too fast. I can't really help that too much. I write whatever seems important enough to include. Things that this Luffy did differently enough. Though I must say that I don't intend to waste many more chapters on this arc. Another thing is that whatever I do in that regard, someone's going to be disappointed. Either one side or the other. So, I'll be selfish and just do what I want. :D_

_Another thing was that someone said to me that I was basically repeating a lot of stuff in a few of the previous chapters. True, but I can't really proceed without getting all the basics out of the way. _

_Another thing that was said was that basically nothing has changed. That I'm only changing minor things. I didn't see much room for for change in this arc up until now. Change will happen, now that I have things I actually want to change. I feel sorry for guys like this, when I'll have to repeat stuff in the next two arcs. And for me, because you'll keep saying that you hate it. For the record, I hate repeating stuff too. That's why there's a lot of dialogue change which some think isn't really change at all, but whatever. Guess I should stop writing chapters like the previous one was?_

_Okay, another egg to crack. The crew's apparent disrespect for Luffy and Luffy playing stupid. Supposed to be getting old. In the previous chapter apparently. If by disrespect you mean Sanji kicking and calling Luffy a shithead, that's not really so new. Not even my idea, but Oda's. Luffy was always fine with that. If you're referring to the crew saying Luffy is stupid in previous chapters, that's also not new. Also, Luffy is messing around. Would you prefer dead serious Luffy? Would that be more interesting? I'm not sure what do here, you know. _

_Someone said Luffy should still be unable to lie. *sighs* How would you expect that to work? Luffy is forced to lie or make up information on a daily basis to make sure things turn out how he wants them to. Also, lying is a skill like any other (at least IMHO). There are some that are naturally better than others, but practice makes perfect. (or better). Also, Luffy is OOC. Nuff said? (though I must say Luffy's inability to lie was always cute as hell :D )_

_A few people said a direct no to romance. Not sure what to do here. I'll have to decide by the end of this arc though, as I had something planned for then_

_Luffy's arrogance. Yeah, Luffy is a little diffent. Not entirely intentional. Maybe he's rubbing of me? I'm way too arrogant sometimes. I'm a bad influence obviously. But if you're insanely strong from the outset, you tend to become arrogant. I think. _

_There have been questions whether or not the timeskip would happen. I couldn't imagine a Luffy, who had his crew die when they were strong, dragging them into either Marineford or Shinsekai(New World) now when they are weak. So yes. Obviously, I should say. Don't worry asbout what he'll be doing. Plenty of "evil" plans there._

_Someone asked if I seriously intend to ask readers to click ads for me. Well, I'm greedy. I fully admit that. But not anymore. The thing is useless anyway. I'll be better off selling apples or something. Wouldn't need half my country to get money from that. Ughh._

_Okay, I think I'm done now. Forgive me for the no doubt longest author's note I have ever written. I hope I covered the basic stuff and I hope I didn't come across as mean, annoying, horribly evil or whatever when I wrote those replies. :D I certainly didn't intend to. _

_So! Thanks for reading. Please review. Now I'm tired from writing. Yaaaawn. I should watch some gintama now. Kinda miss baka prince, katsura and of course the main guys. So, bye!_

_P.S.: Why are anime women so often evil/unreasonably hot tempered? Do writers find that hot or something?_


	43. Accident prone

**43. Accident prone**

The god's priest Shura looked arrogantly down on his foes. The knight of the sky, Gan Fall and his partner, Pierre were entangled in his invisible strings and the little Chopper who wasn't a challenge at all, looked in panic at both the knight and the priest. The ship, where he stood, was heavily damaged and the mast along with the sail was floating on the water underneath the sacrificial platform.

He thought it was a job well done. He just had to finish off the three intruders and be done with it. He thought he had nothing to worry about and expected to soon go to the place where the remaining priests were called to defend against the Shandian attack.

And then, the next moment, everything changed.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" an enraged voice yelled. The priest turned around on his giant bird and saw a man with a straw hat, who stood on a large tree branch. His eyes were hidden under his hat, but his voice betrayed his anger. Steam surrounded his slightly pinkish body.

'I didn't sense him coming.' Shura thought. 'What is this guy?'

"Luffy!" Chopper yelled with tears in his eyes. "This guy … he hurt Merry! I couldn't protect it!"

"It's okay, Chopper." Luffy replied. "You did what you could. At least you're okay!"

Chopper nodded tearfully.

"And the knight came to help you, right?" he asked. Chopper nodded. Luffy turned to Gan Fall.

"Thanks for helping Chopper!" he said. The knight shook his head.

"I only did what I promised I would do if you called me." he replied. "And I'm afraid if you hadn't arrived, it'd be for nothing. You see, me and Pierre can't move anymore."

Luffy's face changed to one of confusion and after that realization.

"String." he muttered. He unsheathed his sword and in an action barely seen by those observing, released a compressed air blast, which cut the tiny strings which held Gan Fall and his partner in place. The blast then continued towards the tress and cut a tree in half and then dispersed.

The priest watched in horror as the giant treetop slid slightly off the tree trunk.

Gan Fall and Pierre flew and landed on the Going Merry, next to Chopper.

The priest and his bird flew and landed on the stairs beneath it.

"So, you're one of the priests?" Luffy asked after a moment of silence. The priest smirked.

"That's right. My name is Shura, I'm the priest of the ordeal of string." he answered.

"I don't give a crap about your stupid name, stupid jerk." Luffy answered. The priest lost his smirk and scowled.

Shura and his bird took off and flew towards him, lance at the ready. As the priest flew towards him, Luffy dodged the lance.

"**Armament.**" he muttered and infused his right fist with haki. It became shiny black, but after a moment, the air around the fist ignited as Luffy was still under the effect of Gear Second. The man and the bird flew past him and turned around.

He noticed the flaming fist and stared at it in confusion. He flew towards Luffy again, but this time, when his lance was dodged once again, a fiery fist collided with his face. He was sent flying through several trees before he finally stopped in one. The bird, Fuza, looked around furiously and being unable to locate him started flying around in panic, searching for him.

"Wow, SO COOOOL!" Chopper yelled from ship.

Luffy turned around and laughed sheepishly, while scratching his head. Of course, he forgot all about his fiery hand.

"LUFFY, YOUR HAIR IS ON FIRE!" Chopper yelled in terror.

"OH, CRAP!" Luffy yelled and deactivated both his haki armament and his Gear Second. He started turning around in place, while trying to put his fire out with his hands.

All three observers sweat-dropped.

"Is this how it usually is on your ship?" Gan Fall asked.

" … Yes." Chopper answered. Pierre shook his head.

After a few moments of running around in a circle, Luffy accidentally fell off the branch that he was standing on and fell down into the lake or whatever it was. Several skysharks opened their mouths in order to eat him.

"CRAP!" Luffy yelled. Chopper gritted his teeth in panic, while Gan Fall mounted Pierre and they flew towards him in an attempt to intercept him.

At that moment, Luffy did the only think he possibly could, he started kicking.

"WHAT?!" Chopper and Gan Fall shouted in unison. Luffy opened his eyes and looked at their dropped jaws and astonished looking faces. He blinked a few times in confusion and then looked on the ground … and there wasn't any. Finally, his jaw also dropped.

"I'M STANDING ON AIR!" he yelled excited. "SOOO COOOOL!"

He then tried to take a step forward. Unfortunately, he had no idea how the entire thing worked, so he used a lot more force than necessary. Accidentally, he activated his Gear Second.

Luffy only had time to think 'Uh oh!' before he was blasted high in the sky.

"DAAAAAAAMN IIIIT!" he yelled as he disappeared from view.

After a few moments, the knight of the sky landed back on the ship.

"This is crazy." he said. "I can't believe what I'm seeing anymore."

Chopper nodded.

"I know what you mean." he replied.

"Hey, are you a talking reindeer?" Gan Fall asked after a few moments.

"EEEEH, YOU JUST NOTICED?!"

* * *

Quite a bit away from the sacrificial platform, Robin, Zoro and Nami had just found something interesting. Before them was the other half of Montblanc Cricket's house back on Jaya.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"What's that?" Nami asked. Robin gained a thoughtful expression.

"That could be the sound of someone getting his skin separated from his body, Navigator-san." she replied calmly. Nami and Zoro cringed.

"Stop saying such scary things, Robin!" Nami yelled at her. Robin just giggled.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"It's getting nearer!" Zoro commented.

"Maybe someone-" Robin started.

"DON'T SAY ANYTHING!" Nami yelled with razor-sharp teeth. Robin just laughed again.

"AAAAAAAAAAAA! MOVE IT, GUYS!"

"That sounded like Luffy!" Zoro suggested.

And then something crashed into them. Zoro and Nami coughed because of the dust and after the dust settled, a very interesting sight greeted them.

"Hey guys!" Luffy greeted as he lifted his head. "Am I disturbing something?"

"I feel like _I'm_ the one disturbing something." Nami muttered with a sigh.

"Am, Luffy, you might want to … you know." Zoro suggested. "Get off her?"

Luffy finally opened his eyes. He laid on top of Robin. His head was on her bosom. He looked down and saw her staring at him.

"Um, Hi, Robin." he muttered. "Didn't see you there."

She continued to stare.

"This is like … super awkward, isn't it?" he asked.

She nodded slowly.

He stood up and helped her up as well.

"At least you were comfy." Luffy muttered under his breath. Her eyes widened.

"E-Excuse me?" she asked.

"Ah, never mind!" he replied and waved his hand as if hitting a fly. He inwardly face-palmed. 'Why did I have to say that aloud?'

"Anyway, look at this, Luffy!" Zoro called, trying to defuse the awkwardness. He pointed to the half of the house.

"COOOOL!" he yelled. "So then, this Upper Yard island was like blasted into the sky by a knock-up stream or something?!"

Everyone quieted down and stared at him in astonishment.

"Yes, actually." Robin said after a moment. "What you said was our conclusion as well. This seems to be the other half of Cricket-san's house. "

"I think we should head back to the ship now." Zoro suggested. "By the way, why are you here, Luffy?"

Luffy sighed.

"Well, I sensed Chopper was in danger, so I quickly went after him." he answered.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_After dealing with the round priest, the three pirates continued on the Milky road. After a while, Luffy sensed a powerful presence near Chopper. He also sensed fear. He jumped off the boat on the grassfield filled with heads on spikes. _

"_Hey, what are you doing, Luffy?" Usopp asked. Sanji also looked in his direction._

"_Continue this way." he replied. "I'm going ahead."_

"_But why?" Sanji asked._

"_Chopper's in trouble." Luffy explained. He dropped into his usual stance._

"_**Gear Second.**__" he announced. He used his legs as pumps for blood. Steam surrounded him._

"_What's that?" Usopp asked. "Why is there steam around you?"_

"_No time to explain." Luffy answered and dashed ahead. _

_When he was half-way there, Luffy was startled by something he did not expect. A voice. A childish sounding voice._

"_Captain … my captain … "_

_'What's that?' he thought. After a while, he dismissed it in favor of continuing on his way._

* * *

"Gear Second, what's that?" Nami asked. Luffy looked at her.

"It's a technique that makes me faster basically." he answered. Then he sighed.

"Anyway, when I reached the ship, the mast was gone and the ship looked even worse off than before." he continued. "The ship was attacked by one of the priests. Shura or something. So I beat him up."

"And what was that voice you heard, Captain-san?" Robin asked. Luffy shook his head.

"Don't know." he replied. "Oh, the weird knight was also there. He came to help Chopper, but he was in trouble when I reached him."

"So he held his part of the deal." Zoro replied. Luffy nodded.

"If it weren't for him, Chopper might have died. And the ship could have burned completely." he answered.

"Why did you come crashing down from the sky though?" Nami asked. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! It's kind of funny, really!" he answered.

"Funny?" all three of them asked.

"Shishishi, well you see … if I combine Gear Second and haki armament, I burst into flames." Luffy started. Their eyes widened.

"That's kinda cool." Zoro commented with a smirk. "I wish I could make my swords catch fire. A sword is cooler when on fire."

"Shishishishi! Right, right!" Luffy agreed, while Nami face-palmed. "Anyway, then I accidentally scratched my hair with my hand still on fire."

All three of them looked at him in shock.

"You're kidding, right?" Nami asked. Luffy shook his head. Zoro face-palmed while Robin laughed.

"Okay, then I tried to put the fire out and I accidentally fell from the branch. I kinda panicked there, so I did the only thing I thought of." Luffy continued. Zoro nodded.

"You mean, you stretched and grabbed a branch or something?" he asked. Luffy's eyes widened.

'Don't tell me … ' Zoro thought.

Luffy punched his fist into his palm.

"Right. I could have done that!"

Nami and Zoro both fell down. Robin just stared at him in bewilderment.

"You forgot about stretching?" she asked. Luffy put his hands behind his head and laughed sheepishly.

"Shishishi, anyway! I started kicking and next thing I know I was standing on air!" Luffy replied and grinned.

"HUH?"

"Yeah, cool I know! Shishishi!" Luffy continued. "But I didn't know how to use it well, so I kinda overdid it … and then I crashed into Robin!"

"So, this standing on air thing … " Zoro started. "Can you do it now?"

Luffy shrugged.

"I could try." he replied. "It's called Geppo (Moon walk) by the way. Or so I hear."

"Wait, you can actually walk on air?" Nami interrupted with a shocked expression. "There's a technique like that?"

Luffy nodded.

"Sure. But only high ranking marines and agents can do it. It's kinda hard for a normal guy to do it." he replied. There was silence for a moment.

"Oh, by the way, Sanji unlocked his observation haki!" Luffy announced and grinned.

"Seriously?" Nami asked. Luffy nodded joyfully.

"Damn shitty cook." Zoro muttered. Luffy laughed.

"Oh, Zoro, you're jealous?" he asked. The first mate's face reddened.

"I'M NOT JEALOUS!" he yelled with razor-sharp teeth. He stomped angrily towards the forest. "We need to get to the ship fast so I can continue my training?"

"Shishishishi! _Observation_ training by any chance?" Luffy asked and grinned.

"SHUT UP!" he yelled.

"Zoro, that's the wrong direction." Nami announced. He started walking in a different direction.

"Swordsman-san, that's also the wrong direction." Robin said in an amused tone.

Luffy then randomly started laughing.

"What is it, Captain-san?" Robin asked. He looked at her. Zoro suddenly got a very bad feeling in his gut.

"Shishishishishi!You know, maybe we should just leave navigation to Zoro." Luffy started. Everyone looked at him with confusion."Maybe then we'll find One Piece by accident."

* * *

_Okay. Let me get this out of the way. I don't like this chapter. Maybe not because of actual content, but because of how freakin' outrageously long it took me to finally write it. Not to mention that I'm not happy with the content either. Ughh. Not sure I my bad day or actual bad chapter. And I have a headache again._

_Right. If you're wondering about why Luffy crashing into Robin's tits sounds ridiciolus and unlikely, well ... that's because it kinda is. :) But that's the idea that was produced in my ridicilous and insane mind, so I went with it. Hey, at least I didn't make them kiss on accident. Now, that'd be unlikely. And probably quite painful too. (Altrough to be fair, just crashing into someone from the sky would probably be very painful too. Maybe deadly. Probably. But, here men can control elements, walk in the sky, jump a kilometer in the sky, spontaneously combust etc. ). I hope you forgive me this awfully convenient accident. _

_If you're wondering why Luffy wasn't blushing or something like that: the man stood naked in front of like 30 girls on Amazon Lily and showed zero signs of embarrasement. Even though he's changed and grown up a bit, he's still the impossible to embarrass Luffy. Well, maybe not impossible anymore, but very hard at the very least. As for Robin - I can't even imagine her blushing. Or anything of the sort. She doesn't jaw-drop. She doesn't face-fault. She barely even sweat-drops. She doesn't blush. Not ever. Also, she's kinda nicer and more patient than Nami, so that's why she just sort of stared when it happened. Nami would be beating him up at that point. _

_Gear Second causes fire when combined with skin armament. I hope you're fine with that. There's no actual proof that that's how Oda thinks about it (I think), it's just an assumption._

_By the way, would anyone care to guess what the mysterious voice is?_

_Well, anyway. I hope you liked this chapter better than I did. (evil chapter :( ) Please review._

_P.S.: When Luffy said "But I didn't know how to use it well, so I kinda overdid it … and then I crashed into Robin!" I really, really wanted him to say: "But I didn't know how to use it well, so I kinda overdid it … and then I crashed into Robin boobs!" and then correct himself and say "Ooops, I meant Robin. Shishishishi!". Too bad that would kinda interfiere with a future evil plan of mine. Well, possible evil plan._


	44. Uneasy answers

_Before you start reading, I've got one announcement. Romance is on. I was kinda encouraged to do it by a few people, so LuffyxRobin is going to happen. Not sure how or when exactly, but it will. There have been a few people going strictly against anything of this type. My message to those people is like it has always been. Romance will never ever get the spotlight in this particular fic. This won't become a romance fic. No chapter will be devoted specifically to romance. The thing will be fairly straightforward and lightweight. Limited to occasional moments and comments from the crew. So stop thinking that this LuRo crap will overpower the story. If your opposition to romantic development is simply from the viewpoint that Luffy is too innocent and/or disinterested, then you should have begun your criticisms sooner as I've pretty much established that Luffy isn't asexual in this fic. _

_Also, I'll put the warning in the description, so that LuNa fans won't try to beat me up across the internets. :D_

**44. Uneasy answers**

It was a cold night. The party was already over. They stayed and slept in the forest across the lake, not too far away from the sacrificial platform on top of which the ship of the Straw Hat pirates was situated.

It wasn't clear who had intruded upon whom, whether the animals or the pirates were intruders, but after a short confrontation, both of them settled around the campfire, which was by now almost burnt out.

In the middle of his nightmare plagued sleep, Luffy woke up. He sat up as he was no longer capable of sleep given what he dreamt about.

"Captain … my captain … " the voice that Luffy had nearly forgotten called again.

'What's that?' he thought as he scratched his head. He yawned. 'I'm not going to get any sleep anytime soon and it's probably not even close to morning yet.'

"Captain … come to me, my captain … " the voice called to him. He shrugged and got up.

"H-H-Hey, L-Luffy!" someone else, someone he knew, called to him. He turned around and saw a panicked looking Usopp.

He yawned again.

"What is it, Usopp?" he asked. "Did you hear someone speaking?"

The sniper looked at him oddly.

"What are you talking about?" he asked in confusion. Luffy's eyes widened.

"I heard someone calling me." Luffy answered honestly. "Third time now."

Usopp shook his head.

"I haven't heard anything." he replied. "But anyway, Luffy … It's kinda embarrassing, but-"

"What is it, Usopp?" he interrupted.

"C-Could you … " he started, but hesitated, earning an embarrassed blush. "I need to take a leak."

Luffy looked at him with a confused expression.

"Just go alone." another voice interrupted with a yawn. "You're not a kid anymore."

"H-H-Hey, I'm not scared at getting deeper in … the s-scary forest … a-at night ..." Usopp stuttered, obviously not hiding his fear well.

Luffy's look softened.

"So you want me to come with you?" he asked. Usopp nodded.

He sighed.

"Fine." he answered. "But let me warn you that I'm hearing voices."

Zoro snickered.

"What if one of those voices ordered Luffy to kill you?" Zoro asked in a creepy tone as he turned around, bearing a maniacal grin.

Luffy chuckled upon seeing Usopp cringe and pale. The sniper however interpreted Luffy's amusement as something else and flinched slightly as Luffy got near him.

"Oh, relax, Usopp!" Luffy told him. "I'm not going to listen to what some stupid voice is telling me!"

Usopp relaxed slightly, but flinched again as he looked back at Zoro, who still bore an unsettling grin.

"And you!" he said to Zoro. "Stop looking at Usopp like that! Your face is way too scary!"

"OI!" Zoro whispered loudly as his grin turned into a scowl and he glared at Luffy. After a moment, he 'humphed' and turned back to the small campfire.

Usopp and Luffy made their way deeper into the forest, when Usopp thought he heard something. He flinched.

"What's wrong, Usopp?" Luffy asked. Usopp shook his head.

"Thought I heard something." he replied. Luffy nodded. He guessed it wasn't that odd to be scared in a place like this. Luffy wasn't scared right now, but from his childhood experiences with the wild, he could definitely understand why his friend was so unnerved. After all, Usopp wasn't as strong as his monstrous crew-members and this was no ordinary forest either. They kept walking. To his relief, Usopp found his presence comforting and wasn't flinching anymore, even though the forest, as any other, kept producing noises of its own.

"Captain … my captain … " the voice announced again. He stopped.

"Didn't you hear that?" he asked his friend.

"Hear what?" Usopp asked back. Luffy shook his head and continued to walk, but then Usopp stopped him. He looked confused at Usopp, but in a second, he understood everything.

It was the sound of a hammer. It sounded like someone pounded on something with his hammer.

"I hear it." he confirmed.

"That sounds like-" Usopp whispered.

"I know." Luffy interrupted. He sighed. "Listen, just take a piss now and we'll check that out after that."

Usopp nodded.

"S-Stay here!" he ordered with a stuttering voice. Luffy simply nodded. He turned around and looked over the trees.

"Captain … come here, captain … I'm waiting for you ..." the voice asked again. The hammering continued.

'Could it be …' Luffy thought, but shook his head after a while. 'It sounds different. It's not the same. Similar, but not the same …'

Usopp finished after a moment.

"I heard it again." Luffy announced. Usopp looked at him.

"H-How does it sound like?" he asked as they continued towards the sounds.

"The voice?" Luffy asked. Usopp nodded.

"It sounds like the voice of a child … " he answered. Usopp paled at this.

"Y-You're not making that up, are you?" he stuttered. "T-This sounds like something f-from a h-h-horror s-story!"

Luffy laughed.

"H-Hey, don't laugh at me!" he whispered loudly.

"It keeps calling me captain." Luffy told him. Usopp quirked a curious eyebrow. "And inviting me to come closer."

Usopp looked down on the ground. Luffy could see that Usopp was frightened.

"Don't worry." he said with a smile. "Nothing bad will happen."

"B-But, Luffy!" Usopp protested. "T-This sounds like something straight from a horror story!"

Luffy snickered.

"Hey, Usopp!" he replied cheerfully. "What do you think it is? A dead little girl that's come to kill us?"

Usopp paled even more, color leaving his face completely.

"D-Don't say t-that!" he protested. Luffy looked at him with a quirked eyebrow.

"So I was right?" he asked with a smirk, but then he looked at Usopp with a more serious expression.

"Look, not many things can harm a pirate crew as strong as ours." Luffy continued. "And I'm pretty sure we could take on a little girl any day."

There was silence for a few moments. The hammering grew louder, as did the voice.

"Captain … "

After a moment they found the ship. They were very near as the hammer was loud. It was coming from the ship. They looked at the ship and could not believe what they saw.

"G-GHOST!" Usopp yelled and pointed at the small figure, which did look like a ghost.

Even Luffy was unnerved by this. His friend hid behind him.

The ghost-like figure turned around and showed its unclear white face. The only thing visible were the big eyes and the wide grin, very similar to his own.

'Merry?' he asked himself. 'Could that be Merry?'

"L-L-Luffy, i-it's a ghost!" Usopp stuttered.

"I'm gonna talk to it." Luffy announced. Usopp paled.

"B-But, Luffy!"

"He looks friendly." Luffy replied. Then he turned his head to Usopp, who was still behind him. "Look, if you're scared then go back to Zoro."

"B-But-"

"I'll be ok." Luffy interrupted and smiled.

Usopp slowly let go of him and turned around. Then he ran back to the encampment.

As soon as he saw Usopp leave, Luffy flung himself unto the ship.

* * *

The small ghost figure turned around. Luffy was surprised to see that the figure looked no different up close as it did from afar. It was a man made of blinding white light. Luffy could only discern the most basic humanoid features.

"Captain!" the little man yelled in a childish voice and attempted to hug him, but his hands passed through Luffy. His grin faded in obvious disappointment at being unable to touch him.

"Are you-" Luffy started.

"I'm Merry!" the ghost chirped out in a cheerful voice, regaining his smile.

"But how can I hear your voice? How can I talk to you?" he asked.

"Captain, you have the ability to hear the voice of things." the little man explained. He dropped the hammer on the ground.

'Merry's voice sounds different.' Luffy thought.

"I am different." the man replied. Luffy stared at him wide-eyed.

"What's wrong, my captain?" the ghost asked. "I just answered to you."

"B-But I didn't say anything." Luffy answered. The ghost tilted his head.

"Yes you did." he answered.

"But I didn't say anything! I only thought about it!" Luffy yelled in disbelief.

The ghost scratched his head with his hand.

"Said, thought?" he asked. "What's the difference?"

Luffy could only stare dumbly at the figure. After a moment, he recomposed himself.

"You said you were different?" Luffy asked. "Different from when?"

"Your previous life of course, captain!" the ghost announced in a cheerful voice like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Luffy's eyes went wide.

"H-How do you know about that?" he asked.

"You're my captain!" the ghost announced. "I know my captain!"

"B-But how can you know these things?!" Luffy nearly shouted. The little man scratched his head again.

"Don't know!" he announced after a minute. "I just know all my captain knows and what my friends know!"

Luffy's eyes widened again.

"You know everything?" he asked with a disbelieving expression. "You know about Ace and the crew and everything that's happened?"

"YES!" the ghost yelled. Luffy just stared at him.

"But how-" he asked.

"Don't know." the ghost interrupted.

"Why are you different thought?" he asked after a moment. "You're less-"

"Childish?" the little man offered. Luffy shrugged, but then nodded.

"My captain is different, so I'm different!" the ghost replied cheerfully. Luffy just blinked a few times. Then he suddenly realized something. If he could talk to Merry, then that meant-

"I'm dying." the little ghost answered to his thoughts. Luffy was again startled, both by the bluntness and the revelation itself.

"B-But how?" he asked with wide-eyes. "I made sure to take care of half of the iron spears and I beat up Bellamy before he could do anything!"

"I'm dying." the little man repeated. "I wish I could go on adventures with you forever, but I can't."

Luffy looked down.

'I failed again. I thought I could prevent all my mistakes, but-'

"This is not something you could have prevented, captain." the childish voice interrupted. Luffy looked up and a tear dropped down his cheek.

"But if I was stronger, If I-"

"NO." the ghost interrupted. "You couldn't have. It was meant this way."

There was silence for a few moments.

"You can't control everything, my captain." the ghost told him. "And you shouldn't try."

"I'm sorry, Merry." he whispered.

"You always knew this was going to happen." the ghost told him. "I could never reach the New World, let alone survive in it."

Silence lingered for a few more moments.

"How do I tell them?" he asked and looked down.

"Just say the truth."

* * *

In the morning, everyone was startled to find Luffy staring at a random direction. When he turned to them, everyone could see he had bloodshot eyes. When asked about it, he confirmed what Usopp had said about the ghost, but refused to say what happened afterward. He didn't think it was wise for him to break the news about the ship in his current state. Speaking about the ship: the ghost had repaired it. Like last time. This was another startling, but not unwelcome discovery for the crew.

To their relief, the crew found that Luffy wasn't aggressive or very irritable, like he usually was when he got no sleep. He was just … gloomy. Sad. After an uncharacteristically quiet breakfast, the crew divided into two groups. The group that would take care of the ship, which included Usopp, Sanji and Nami and the group that would look for gold, which was composed of Luffy, Zoro, Robin and Chopper. After a few basic instructions, Luffy felt that it was his job to add a few things.

"Hey guys!" he announced. " Listen up!"

Everyone looked at him.

"If you meet this _god_ … guy," Luffy began. "Don't attack him, even if he provokes you."

Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"He's bound to be very powerful, so … leave him to me." he concluded. Then he looked at Sanji.

"Sanji, I'm counting on you to protect Nami and Usopp." he told him. Sanji nodded.

"I'll make sure Nami-swan doesn't get hurt!" he announced while doing his noodle dance.

"And Usopp!" Luffy added.

"Whatever." Sanji replied. Luffy smirked. He knew that although Sanji was very rough and dismissive of his male crew-members, he would still do whatever he could to help them. Plus, he seemed very protective of the long-nosed sniper.

* * *

After going deeper into the forest and barely escaping the gigantic python, which he didn't really want to fight, since he later learned that he was not such a bad guy, eh snake, that he appeared to be, Luffy found himself alongside Robin as she searched for the ruins of the city of gold, which was supposed to be somewhere on the Upper Yard. It was really the only place he could think of being.

He knew that if went with either Chopper or Zoro, he'd likely be overprotective of them (he knew they had gotten very messed up by their respective opponents) and that would have prevented them from improving as much as they could. Still, however far away he was, he'd run to them if he thought they were in too much danger. Observation haki and future knowledge were both a blessing and curse. He knew what was going to happen. He knew they were going to he fine, but still … after seeing them all dead once, he couldn't help but be worried about them.

He convinced himself to trust in their strength. They handled this before. They can do it again.

Robin was searching for the ruins, but it was obvious that she wasn't that much into it at that very moment. He knew she had something to say. And he knew he wouldn't like it. And he was right.

"Captain-san?" she asked, but didn't turn around.

"What is it, Robin?" he asked.

"I know you're hiding something." she answered. His eyes widened.

'Oh, crap.' he thought.

"You are impossibly powerful, Captain-san. And you know things you couldn't possibly know." she continued. They stopped. After a moment she turned around and looked at him.

He tilted his head on the side and looked at her with an expression as confused as he could muster.

"What do you mean?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Don't try to fool me." she told him. "I'm not an idiot, Captain-san."

"I never said you were." he told her.

"You look like you're sixteen." she started. "And yet you often act as the oldest of us."

"I'm seventeen." he corrected her.

"Not the point." she told him. "You're seventeen and yet you can fight with Dracule Mihawk on equal terms. You seem to know a lot about everywhere you go and yet you don't look like the learning type. You have nightmares about everyone dying on a regular basis."

He looked at her.

"So I'm hiding something?" he asked her. She nodded.

He smirked.

"From the moment I got you on crew, Robin, I knew you would be the hardest to keep things from." he told her. Her eyes widened.

"Then what-" she started.

"But I can't tell you anything about it." he interrupted. "Not yet."

She looked at him with a small smirk.

"That makes me even more interested in your past, Captain-san." she asked him. He sighed. He looked her in the eyes and she flinched.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_She laid on the ground. She was still alive, but it was obvious she didn't have much longer. She laid in her own blood. Her arms were burnt. She obviously tried to use them to at least somewhat restrain the murderous admiral. _

"_Luffy ..." she whispered, unable to raise her voice._

"_Robin ..." he answered with tears in his eyes. "There's still time … I can-"_

"_No." she interrupted."I'm sorry. I won't be alive … much longer ..."_

_He stayed silent, respecting her unspoken wish._

"_Thank you, Luffy." she told him. "Thank you for saving me when I wanted to die."_

_She smiled._

"_It was the best thing … that anyone had ever done for me ..."_

* * *

A tear slipped from his eye. She noticed that and her expression softened.

"What happened to you?" she asked.

"Death." he answered and looked away. "That's what happened. Everyone died."

They continued their search in silence.

* * *

_Okay. First I apologize for not updating in so long. Exams, you see. I studied and worried, so I kinda wasn't really in the mood to write chapters in my remaining time. I don't promise it won't be the same this week. I'm pretty sure it won't be, but I'm not promising. I've got two of them this time. (Four of them last week)_

_Okay, it was a kinda gloomy chapter. Merry's incoming death. Whoever didn't see that coming. _

_I hope you liked the interactions, specifically Luffy-Usopp, Luffy-Merry, Luffy-Robin. If you think it was kinda weird for Usopp to just run away at the end - sorry! I kinda had to do that to make sure Luffy was alone with the ghost. Speaking about the ghost, I hope you liked that. The ship knows (at least here) the hopes and dreams of its crew, most importantly its captain. So, Merry knows what's going on. I hope Robin was good. I hope you liked the flashback. _

_Anyway, next time, after screwing around with this saga for way too many chapters, you'll finally get the fight with Enel (I'd say there's 90% chance for that). Those of you who have been annoyed with the saga going nowhere will finally get what they want. After that, I'll probably wrap up the thing in one or at the most two chapters. _

_(People often ask me how many chapters I intend to put on the incoming saga. For now, what I have planned is: 1 or 2 chapters of intermission after hitting the blue sea, 1 for foxy, 1 probably long one for Aokiji and one for both the meeting with Kokoro, Chimney and Gonbe and arrival in Water 7. After that, I plan one chapter for a special purchase which Luffy will do, which you can suffer not knowing about for at least a week. Muahahahaha. I'm so horribly evil.)_

_Anyway, thanks for reading and please don't be mean when (and if) you review. I'm kinda not confident now that I haven't written in more that a week. So don't be mean. :D_


	45. The all powerful god appears

_Notice how the story quality has suddenly outrageously dropped like a stone ever since I announced that I'll be doing romance. Also, romance has become such a huge and distracting part of the story, so distracting in fact that you can't even discern the actual storyline anymore. There's romantic drama everywhere! _

_Wiper has suddenly fallen in love with Pierre and Zoro and Shanks have been caught having Den Den Mushi sex (whatever that looks like), while Chopper has proposed to Robin, which she is unable to reject due to being afraid of hurting his feelings. Luffy of course thinks Robin actually loves Chopper, so he's in turn proposed to Usopp to get over her. Nami secretly loves Sanji, but is afraid of rejection, so she doesn't ask him about it, while he interprets her odd behaviour around him as merciless mockery against his boundless love towards her, so he in turn proposes to Conis, who accepts his proposal, but is actually really in love in Enel, who loves himself. Also, Whitebeard has always had a crush on Vice-Admiral Tsuru and Marco has a crush on Ace, who secretly loves Luffy. Many people besides Ace and Robin also love Luffy, like Sabo, Law and Kidd (somehow after seeing his picture), Mihawk, Hancock(he appears naked in her dreams despite her not knowing who he is), Dragon, Enel's other personality, Shura (Luffy's fiery fist touched his heart ... ), and many, many others. How will Luffy solve all this in the epic romantic story of Once Again?! _

_Yes, this is what this story has become after my announcement of an eventual simple straightforward hook-up between Luffy and Robin. Notice how there's no sarcasm in this section at all. None. Hey, what is that anyway? (This is my answer to the accusation that romance will ruin and disrupt this story and that this story will jump the shark because of the romance and everything will crush and burn. Also, I've been told that romance is a useless addition. I agree with that. Also, my whole story is useless. One could argue that the whole fanfiction site is useless. I mean it doesn't really help solve the hunger in Africa or anything. If you don't like the 2 sentences of romance per chapter, then I think you should find something else to read.)_

**45. The all-powerful god appears**

Whilst the pirates continued to search for the city of gold, a battle between the God's enforcers and Shandians took place. The little war was nothing at all against what was to come, but both sides were hostile to the pirates and their ranks consisted of enough people who could challenge them on at least somewhat equal terms.

God Enel was zipping around, taking out people that he was interested in taking out, encountering no real opposition to his overwhelmingly powerful logia devil fruit. Although he had lost two and not just one of his priests the previous day, he was unconcerned, treating everything as the perfect game to ease his boredom.

Luffy continued following Robin, although he personally wasn't very interested in the ruins. They found some ruins and God's enforcers that dared to even touch them in a not enough careful manner, were dealt with swiftly and painfully by disembodied arms.

"You know, I don't know why you keep following me if you're upset with me, Captain-san." Robin asked after they reached yet another small ruin of history.

"I'm not upset, Robin." he answered. She turned around and looked at him.

"You certainly seem that way." she told him. He shook his head.

"I'm just thinking about something." he told her.

"Your past?" she asked. "I'm sorry if I brought out some painful memories … "

"Nah." he answered. "I always think about that anyway."

She quirked an eyebrow, but they were interrupted from any further conversation by footsteps approaching them.

"My, my, what a lovely young lady." a voice announced. Both of them turned around. Behind them stood a mountain of a man. He had long black hair as well as several chins, which Luffy immediately noticed.

"Are you another one of God's servants?" she asked. He seemed offended by this as he took a threatening step forward.

"Shut that insolent mouth of yours." he threatened in a reprimanding tone. "I'm the chief enforcer in the service of God Enel. My name is Yama."

"And what do you want here, Chief Enforcer-san?" she asked in a non-offensive tone.

"You'll see soon enough!" he yelled out with an evil smirk. "Meeeh!"

Luffy sweat-dropped, while Robin just stared at him. Several birds flew away from the nearby trees.

'Seriously …' Luffy thought, but then he smirked.

"So, will you tell us what you want, Mountain stomach?" Luffy chirped out in a cheerful voice. Robin looked at him in bewilderment.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are way too blunt?" she asked. Luffy just grinned.

"Oh, yes." he answered. "Plenty of times."

She just shook her head with a slight smile. The head enforcer was less than pleased however.

"You'll pay for those insolent words, boy!" he yelled and jumped in the air. He was surprisingly fast and agile for such an obese man.

"**DROP MOUNTAIN!**" the obese man announced and as the the name of the technique suggested, dropped straight at Luffy. The straw hat pirate quickly took a thumb of his right hand in his mouth and bit it.

"Gear Third." he announced and blew air into his hand and it inflated in size. After enlarging it, Luffy simply grabbed the fast approaching mountain man and restrained him with it.

"Hey!" Yama yelled from the fist, squirming in his grip. "Let me go!"

Luffy turned to his companion.

"I figured you wouldn't be too happy if he destroyed the ruins." he told her. "Where should I put him down?"

Robin blinked a few times and then pointed into the distance away from the ruins. They made their way in that direction. After they left the ruins, Luffy turned to Robin.

"What should I do with him?" he asked her. Both of the looked at the squirming Yama in his hand.

"I wonder how long it would take to clean the blood off your hand if you squeezed him to death?" she asked in a totally emotionless tone. His eyes bulged out.

"Seriously, Robin!" Luffy yelled at her. "That's just yucky!"

She just chuckled at his expression. Luffy pouted and set the obese man down on the ground. Yama panted for a minute and then looked angrily at Luffy, who was undisturbed by his glare.

"Now apologize to Robin for trying to hump her ruins!" Luffy ordered in a childish voice. Robin laughed behind him.

The chief enforcer fumed angrily in front of him.

"**DROP MOUNTAIN!**" he yelled and jumped in the air, attempting to drop straight on Luffy. The pirate moved out of the way however and when he jumped the third time, arms sprouted from the nearby tree and grabbed him. After that, the combined power of many arms slammed the man into the tree trunk in front of him and he slid down on the ground. After a few minutes of bone breaking, slamming and dropping, the chief enforcer was dealt with. Luffy didn't interfere, although he thought that if he did, it'd be way less painful for the obese man.

"Aah, It's so good to be rubber!"

Robin and Luffy then found a big ruined building, with stairs leading to the top. Robin seemed very excited upon finding it and ran ahead, while Luffy followed behind her. She cleared the island cloud which prevented passage to the lower levels.

When they reached the lower levels and exited them they realized. They had reached Shandora, the city of gold. Except there was no gold anywhere in sight.

Meanwhile, Chopper had defeated the priest named the priest named Gedatsu and climbed the giant beanstalk also known as Giant Jack. Upon arriving there however, he was quickly disposed of by the remaining priest, Ohm. After a while, Zoro, Wiper, Gan Fall as well as numerous foot-soldiers from both of the warring sides also arrived on the scene and a three-way battle between Zoro, Wiper and Ohm commenced. Wiper as well as Ohm were hostile to everyone present except their own soldiers, Zoro focused on Ohm, but was forced to fight Wiper as well, while Gan Fall tried to fight Ohm until he was swallowed by another newcomer on the scene, the giant snake Nola (not that anyone actually knew her name).

After a hard and destructive battle, Zoro had defeated Ohm. Wiper prepared to fight him, while Nola kept harassing all of them, being no doubt the most powerful being on that battlefield.

As Robin and Luffy explored the ruins, the crackling of electricity interrupted them.

* * *

Luffy immediately noticed the new presence. The self-proclaimed god Enel sat on a nearby ruin. He was luxuriously dressed with bits of golden jewelry decorating his body.

Luffy was intrigued by the drums attached to his back as well as his horrifically long earlobes.

He smirked and took a bite of his apple. This finally snapped Robin out of her thoughts.

"Yahahaha! Magnificent, isn't it?" he announced in his arrogant voice. "Even after being shot into the sky, the great ancient city still exists in all its grandeur. Shandora. But even a city of legend cannot display its splendor when its obstructed by clouds."

He took another bite.

"I discovered it. My idiotic predecessors never even found it." he continued. Robin now turned around to face him.

"And you are?" she asked.

"I think that's pretty clear, Robin." Luffy told her quietly. The man on the ruin smirked.

"I am god." he replied simply. He took another large bite from the apple. "Both of you have impressed me."

He looked at Robin.

"You have managed to find the city so incredibly quickly." he told her. "A task that took us many months to complete. I see that they are simple to find if you can just read the inscriptions."

Then he looked at Luffy.

"And you." he told him. "You managed to defeat one of the powerful priests with just one punch. Of course that means nothing against the power of god, but I commend you on your strength regardless. What I don't understand is why you came with her instead of helping your nakama fight."

Luffy smirked.

"It's simple, really." he answered. "If I protect them too much, they'll stay in my shadow. They must fight their own battles so that they'll become as strong as me someday."

"An impressive answer." Enel commended. "So this is mere training for your lackeys?"

Luffy nodded.

"Essentially yes. Except they're not lackeys." he replied.

"Whatever you think of them, you needn't have bothered coming here. The gold you so desire is no longer here. You're a few years too late for that." Enel told him.

"Gold?" Robin interjected. "Now that you mention it, there isn't any. So it was you who took it?"

"Yahahahaha! That's how it should be, isn't it?" he asked them as he ate the rest of the apple. "After all, whom better befits such an illustrious metal than god himself?"

Luffy scowled.

'This guy is getting on my nerves.' he thought. 'God this, god that … oh, I'm so goddamn godly!'

"Then may I assume you also took the Golden Bell?" Robin inquired after a few moments. This surprised the man slightly.

"Hmmm? Golden Bell?" he asked her.

'He doesn't know about it?' she thought.

"This is very interesting." he continued. "What did you learn by reading those glyphs?"

"No, unfortunately, if it wasn't here when you arrived, then it never made it to the sky." Robin answered.

"It's here." Luffy interrupted. Both of them looked at him. "It must be here. If it wasn't, Cricket-ossan would probably have found it."

"Not necessarily. It-" Robin started.

"No, he's right." the self-proclaimed god interrupted her. "When this land arrived into the sky 400 years ago, a bell could be heard ringing throughout the land. So it's definitely here."

He paused for a moment.

"The elders of this land called it the 'Song of the Island'!" he continued. "So that bell was made of gold. That's splendid."

There was silence for a few moments.

"That's splendid." Enel repeated. "Yahahaha! I suggest we search for it while we wait! Yahahahaha!"

He laughed for a while, but after a few moments, his amusement was replaced by an annoyed expression.

"I hear a maggot on the edge of the island." he murmured. Luffy looked at him in confusion.

'I can't actually hear people's conversations. The best I can do is sense strong emotion and intent.' he thought. 'Is this guy's observation haki actually

stronger than mine … or is it because of his devil fruit?'

After a while his eyes darkened and he gained a scowl. His body also started crackling with electrical energy. He stood up from the ruin and raised his hand.

"What are you … " Robin yelled. Electricity continued to build in Enel's left hand and soon it shot upwards. Almost at the same moment, Luffy sensed a strong discharge of energy somewhere on the island. What followed it was a strong sense of sadness and despair from a familiar aura.

He gritted his teeth in anger. His right hand blackened.

"W-What was that?" Robin asked in a panicked voice. Enel's body stopped crackling with energy and he dropped his arm. He smirked.

"Mercy." he answered in his arrogant voice. "I extended a hand of salvation to a maggot writhing in pain and set his free. Isn't that what god does? It seems the girl is still running about, but that's not really important. It's time for everyone to learn of the celebration after all. They will all know despair."

Robin looked nervously at the self-proclaimed god.

'This man possesses a logia type of devil fruit.' she thought. She glanced at Luffy, who kept glaring at his enemy.

"Now then!" Enel interrupted her thoughts. "It time to finish this, isn't it? We're running short on time. The final plan is ready to be executed."

"Final … plan?" Robin repeated. The god simply smirked again and raised his free hand.

"IT'S TIME!" he yelled. "APPEAR BEFORE ME, LOWLY MORTALS! SANGO!"

A strong blast of electrical energy was shot upwards and hit the island cloud around the beanstalk above. The place crumbled and pieces of the island cloud as well as ruins started falling from the sky. Enel simply grinned as the ones above panicked as they were falling.

"I have sent an invitation for your nakama to come to Shandora! Yahahahaha!" the god-wannabe announced.

"This man's ability … " Robin said as she watched with widened eyes the carnage above. "What terrifying power!"

She then glanced at Luffy, who kept his eyes on Enel. It was obvious that he was still mad, but his fist was no longer haki infused.

'He seems calm.' she thought. 'Is he not even unnerved by this display of power?'

They ran out of the way as the ruins crashed down, along with the people and the giant snake. As the snake flew down, several people emerged from its open mouth. The knight of the sky along with his partner and after that Nami with the small girl, named Aisa, on a waver.

'What's she doing here?' Luffy thought as he saw Nami crashing into the ground. Near him, someone lifted a giant stone with his hand and threw it away from himself. Both Luffy and Robin looked at the man, who happened to be Zoro.

"Swordsman-san!" Robin yelled.

"Couldn't breathe." Zoro complained. Luffy snickered.

"Did you fall down with the ruins?" she asked him.

"Damnit!" he cursed. "I almost died!"

Robin sweat-dropped.

"You know, most people would have." she told him.

"You know, Zoro, I think I got an idea for my next battle entrance! Shishishishi!" he told them. Robin looked at him with widened eyes.

"You're going to fall from the sky?" she asked him in disbelief. He nodded.

"Shishishi! Should be fun!" he replied. Zoro nearly fell down because of his answer.

"Ow, ow, ow!" another girlish voice announced. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. Nami stood up from the ground and headed towards them while massaging her rear. The knight, Gan Fall followed her and after him the small Shandian girl.

"Since when is falling from the sky fun, Luffy?" she asked as she glared at him. He simply laughed.

"If you're rubber it is." he told her. She simply shook her head.

"By the way, is Chopper okay, Zoro?" he asked after a few moments. The first mate set the doctor down on the ground and checked his pulse.

"He's fine." he replied after a while. "But he's pretty beaten up."

Luffy nodded and turned to Nami.

"Take care of Chopper, Nami." he told her. She simply nodded and took him in her hands.

"By the way, where are we?" she asked. Robin looked at her.

"City of gold." she told her. Nami looked angrily at Luffy.

"Where's the gold?" she seethed, though her tone lacked her usual venom, no doubt from the tiredness. "Luffy, you promised!"

"It's not my fault, Nami!" Luffy replied. "God took it."

"God?" she repeated fearfully. "He's here?"

Luffy pointed at the said man, who simply sat on a ball of island cloud and observed them. He looked in her direction and she shrieked and hid behind Luffy. Between the straw hats, the warrior Wiper, the only remaining Shandian stood. He looked around in disbelief, clearly not expecting to find the lost city of Shandora so suddenly.

"Is this our home?" he asked aloud. "Shandora?"

The snake was also looking around, having lost its aggressiveness for the moment. After a few moments it did what nobody had expected it to do. It actually started crying. Enel punished it for its "foolishness" by blasting it with electricity. Enel then proceeded to mock the remaining Shandian warrior, telling him that everything was just a game.

"A game?" the warrior repeated with disgust.

"Yes, game." the god replied with a mocking smirk. "An innocent little game. And those behind you are the contestants."

He looked behind him and the others approached to stand alongside him. He scowled at their arrival, but didn't do anything. Nami held Chopper and hid behind a wall, pulling Aisa with her despite her protests.

"I welcome you, spirited survivors!" Enel announced arrogantly. "I commend you for making it this far!"

He was amused by their glaring expressions and laughed.

"Yahahaha! What is it?" he asked mockingly. "I just had a little fun! Three hours from when this began, there will only remain a handful of the 80 people who entered. It was the survival game."

Luffy smirked as he remembered that most of those fighting actually survived it, except they were knocked out for a long time afterward.

"It included myself." he continued, interrupting Luffy's thoughts. "Some joined afterward, but I've included them as well. I participated there would be 5 survivors, but it seems there are three more."

The fact that Nami and Aisa were hiding behind a ruin didn't escape his notice.

"So what will you do? Will you choose amongst yourselves or … should I be the one to choose?" he asked. This of course didn't amuse any of the ones present.

Enel looked at each of them and smirked in amusement. He obviously didn't really believe they would accept his offer.

They all announced that he should be the only one to go and pointed their weapon of choice at him. Except for Luffy, who just sort of stood there.

"And you?" Enel asked mockingly as he looked at him. "Won't you make me _disappear_?"

"I think a practical example on how to deal with annoying jerks like you is in order." he announced and smirked.

The god seemed amused by his attitude and laughed.

"Your insolence is amusing, but not very healthy." he replied and turned around. Ignoring their defiance, he then proceeded to explain his plans to them and what he had done so far. Of course, this enraged them further and the former god, Gan Fall finally snapped after being told of how the current god dealt with his former subordinates.

He ran forward towards Enel with his lance to impale his enemy, but the self-proclaimed god simply laughed, threw his golden staff in the air and motioned to his chest invitingly. When the lance ran through him, his body simply reformed back and he prepared to blast the former god with electricity, but Luffy quickly pushed the man into the ground.

Everyone, including both of "gods" looked at Luffy, whose arm simply snapped back into position.

"Oh, this is surprising. Yahahaha!" Enel laughed. "Why are you protecting this hopeless old man? What's he to you? He is not one of your nakama!"

Luffy smirked.

"Maybe not, but he is a friend." he replied. "And he helped Chopper."

"You … " Gan Fall whispered from the ground.

"Meh, it doesn't matter anymore." Enel announced. "The preordained time has come to pass and there are still too many survivors. How could god have been wrong?"

He looked at the four people who stood against him, looking at the face of each one of them separately.

"Yahahahaha! Regardless! Will you now accompany me to the world of dreams, survivors? To Fairy Vearth?" he asked. "I'm feeling generous, so you may all join me!"

He looked on the ground where Gan Fall laid.

"Even you, former god, Gan Fall. Yahahahaha!" he told him. Gan Fall clenched his fist in anger.

"I'd ne-" he began.

"What if we refused?" Robin interrupted. Enel looked at her oddly.

"Why would refuse? I decided that!" he replied. "If you remain here, you'll fall into the abyss along with this land."

"You could do that with your power." Robin began. "But if you meaninglessly destroy this land, the the object which you seek will also be destroyed."

"The golden bell, right?" he asked with an amused smirk. "Yahahaha! You don't need to worry about that! I've traced your steps and I now know there's only one place where it could still be. I believe we have the same conclusion, don't we?"

His face then lost its amusement.

"How unexpected." he growled. "You thought you could fool god with this kind of information?"

His right hand began surging with energy. He lifted it and pointed his index finger at her and at its tip the electrical energy concentrated itself.

"I hate manipulative women." he murmured. Robin looked in horror as lighting traveled towards her, but at the last minute someone jumped in front of her, taking the blast.

"LUFFY!" she screamed.

She backed away slightly and shielded herself from the power. When the lightning ceased, everyone looked at Luffy. Enel gaped at him in disbelief and the same was with the others. He turned around and looked at the astonished Robin. He smiled.

"You called me Luffy!" he told her and grinned. She blinked a few times.

"A-Are you okay?" she stuttered. He narrowed his eyes.

"Are you okay, _who_?" he asked.

"Are you okay or not, Captain-san?" she asked. He pouted.

"You were supposed to say Luffy!" he whined.

"I don't think this is the best time for this, _Luffy_!" she told him. He grinned and turned around to face his gaping enemy once again.

"How are you okay after that, Luffy?" Zoro asked. He laughed.

"Shishishi, well I'm rubber!" he announced. The straw hats got a look of understanding.

"I don't know what this rubber is, but nothing surpasses lighting!" Enel yelled. Luffy turned around once again and looked at his first-mate.

"Zoro." he told him. He looked him in the eyes and then quickly glanced with his eyes in the distance.

"Got it." Zoro whispered. He grabbed Robin by her hand and dragged her away from the scene. Then when he passed Nami, he grabbed her as well and they all got a short distance away from him and Enel. Luffy then looked at Wiper.

"I suggest you also get away from here!" he told him. The man glared at him, but then sighed.

"If you think you can beat him, then knock yourself out." he seethed. "But after Enel is gone, I'll settle things with you blue sea dwellers!"

Upon hearing this Luffy was the one to sigh.

"I have no grudge with you." he replied. Wiper growled.

"You're here on our land!" he yelled. "You're looking to take what is ours!"

"I-" Luffy started.

"As entertaining as your little chats have been, I've grown a bit tired of them!" Enel announced and directed his palm at them.

"**EL THOR!**" he roared and a massive electric blast headed towards them. Luffy inflated his stomach to cover more ground and shield the other man. As the lightning ceased, Luffy's stomach returned to normal and he turned around to the other man who stared in shock.

"Why did you protect me?" he asked. Luffy grinned.

"If I hadn't, then his attack would have hit you!" he replied cheerfully. The Shandian stared at him for a few moments, shook his head and then ran away from them.

Luffy once again turned to face the self-proclaimed god. He glanced at the knight, who lay on the ground with Enel's foot on him.

'I need to first get him away from the weird old man.' he thought. Then his eyes glanced to Enel's face and he nearly freaked out.

What looked at him was an expression that clearly did not suit Enel. His eyes were as wide as they possibly could have been, his jaw was close to the ground and snot was running from his nose.

Luffy smirked.

'So I guess this is what Giant Ossan means when he says snot-nosed brat?'

* * *

_Ah, this is a goddamn long chapter and I didn't even do the battle yet. There was just so many things to say and do. Next chapter will feature the epic (well not really) battle between Luffy and Enel, the all-powerful divine god of godly godliness from god-land in godly-hills. I may or may not finish the arc in that chapter. _

_Anyway, its late so I'm really not in the mood to write long-winded rants on this, even though the chapter itself is freakishly long. For me at least. There are I'm sure plenty of things to rant about, but after the non-sarcastic rant above I'm kinda spent. _

_Overall, this chapter didn't really give you anything outrageously new, since quite a bit of dialogue is preserved from the original and changed to suit the different circumstances. To my defence, I kinda though I have to do this. Regardless, even if you hate this chapter, tomorrow you'll get the battle and that should be better, right?_

_Thanks for reading. Please review if you will._


	46. The answer is rubberman

**46. The answer is rubberman**

Enel stood in the middle of the ruins with his foot on top of Gan Fall, towering over the man. The three straw hats as well as Wiper watched from the distance at the two men who faced each other.

Enel had just about calmed down and stared at his unarmed foe.

'How can he be immune to lighting?' he thought as he gritted his teeth. 'There is no living thing in the world that doesn't fear lightning … apart from me of course. But I'm god.'

He looked at Luffy, who continued to glare at him.

'I've seen him stretch. I don't know what this rubber is, but it seems it gives him the ability to stretch his body a considerable distance.' he thought. 'It's a devil fruit, most likely Paramecia.'

"You know." Luffy began and startled him from his thoughts. "There are plenty of people on the blue sea who could defeat you."

He smirked.

"And yet you call yourself god, Enel." Luffy finished. Enel scowled.

'Insolent brat.' he thought. They stared at each other for a few more moments. Enel seemed reluctant to attack. He knew the man before him had an immunity to his lightning powers.

After a moment, said man smirked and pulled his right hand back.

"**Gomu Gomu no …**" he announced and ran towards him. Enel shook his head repeatedly.

'Calm down, calm down.' he thought to himself. 'Even if he is immune to my power, physical attacks won't affect my body!'

"**... Pistol!**" Luffy completed and delivered a heavy punch into his gut. It wasn't haki infused, but it still connected with the lightning body.

Enel was blasted away from the old man underneath him and crashed into a ruin. Luffy helped the old man get back to his feet.

"How did you manage to hit him?" Gan Fall asked in astonishment. Luffy grinned.

"I'm rubber." he replied cheerfully. Gan Fall looked at him in confusion, but then shook his head and headed toward the rest of the observers.

"Hey, how can he hit Enel?" Wiper asked Zoro. "Does he have kairoseki(seastone) on him or what?"

Zoro shook his head.

"He doesn't." he replied and smirked. "He's just rubber."

Wiper looked at him in confusion.

"What's this rubber you keep talking about?" he asked. Robin looked at him.

"It's surprising that you don't know about it." she replied. "But basically, rubber is a substance which doesn't conduct electricity. So lightning can't harm Luffy."

They looked back at the battle scene, where Enel had finally gotten up.

"Don't get conceited!" he yelled and charged towards Luffy with his golden staff. "If I see that something won't work, then I'll just change my strategy!"

He attempted to smack his head with the staff, but Luffy ducked. Then he attempted to hit him into the ground, but Luffy jumped up in the air. Enel smirked and smacked upwards, hitting Luffy straight into the crotch.

All the observers winced and Zoro unconsciously shielded his crotch with his free hand.

"Enel truly is a devil!" Gan Fall commented with one of his eyes closed. It seemed as if for one moment he could feel Luffy's pain.

"You said it, old man." Zoro agreed, wearing a similar expression.

Luffy was sent flying into air by the strong hit and after a while he stopped by kicking the air.

"I wonder if Captain-san will be still able to have children after this one." Robin commented in an emotionless tone.

"You damn woman!" Zoro growled. She chuckled. "It isn't funny! It hurts like hell!"

"For once I agree with Zoro!" Nami said with widened eyes. "It did look painful."

Luffy landed on the ground. Despite being hit where he was he seemed unaffected. He was rubber after all. He glared at Enel.

'Scratching another man's balls is kinda ... well, gay.' he thought to himself. Enel ran towards him with his staff and smacked down on him, but Luffy sidestepped it. The self proclaimed god then lifted his staff and smacked with it sideways, attempting to hit Luffy's head. The staff was blocked by Luffy's right hand. Enel then raised his left hand, which was free at the time and pointed the palm at Luffy.

"**El Thor!**" he yelled and a huge electric blast was released from his palm straight into Luffy, who stayed at the spot. By now, Enel knew that lightning wouldn't hurt Luffy, but that was not his intention.

The electrical discharge sent Luffy tumbling backward, but he quickly regained his position. However that was Enel's intention. The self-proclaimed god was already at him and had raised his staff with both hands and smacked Luffy across the head sending him flying into the distance, however he didn't stop there. Just as the pirate was about to crash into a ruin, he appeared above him using his lightning fast speed and hit him into the ground.

Nami, who was among the observers, looked at Zoro with uncertainty, but he just smirked, so she didn't say anything.

Enel jumped backwards, away from Luffy. He thought he had at least damaged his opponent somewhat. He did not really expect to have defeated Luffy with those hits, but he did think that he would at least have trouble standing up or would be a bit bloodied.

What he did not expect was for Luffy to simply jump back into a standing position without the slightest sign of any damage. Sure, he looked dirtied and his clothes were a little charred because of the lightning, but he looked perfectly fine.

"That won't work either." Luffy smirked. Enel's eyes widened.

"Lightning won't work." he muttered. "Physical attacks won't work. Just what is rubber?"

He sighed.

"No, wait. He's a simple Paramecia. I've already seen what he can do." he continued quietly, believing Luffy doesn't hear him.

The pirate smirked. Along with observation haki, his hearing has improved tremendously. After all, the first step to mastering observation is often to train your senses.

Enel laughed.

"If I can't harm you with a staff, then I'll use something else." the self-proclaimed god announced pompously. Lightning surrounded the golden staff.

"**Gloam Paddling!**" he announced and the staff changed its shape into a trident.

"I have no time to play with the likes of you!" Enel yelled and charged at Luffy, who dodged the trident.

"Yahahaha! As I thought, you are vulnerable to piercing attacks!" he announced with his arrogant voice.

"Yeah." Luffy confirmed.

Nami face-palmed after hearing that.

"IDIOT!" she yelled with razor-sharp teeth. "DON'T TELL HIM THAT!"

Zoro chuckled.

"Relax, Nami." he told her. "It's not like he can take on _Luffy_."

Luffy continued to dodge the trident for a few moments and then when he finally got tired of dodging, he pulled back both of his arms and prepared to attack.

"**Gomu Gomu no Bazooka!**" Luffy yelled as his arms snapped into the front to execute his most powerful normal attack. The self-proclaimed god moved back with the power of lighting and successfully dodged the blow.

Luffy smirked. He relaxed his posture somewhat, leaving his arms hanging.

"So, what do you call a man who defeats a god?" he asked and grinned. His opponent gritted his teeth in anger and lunged forward, barely missing Luffy with his sharp weapon.

"THERE IS NO SUCH MAN!" he yelled in anger. Luffy pulled back his right fist.

"**Armament.**" he murmured and the fist blackened. He punched forward, but Enel turned into lightning, avoided the punch and appeared behind him.

"God can't be defeated by a mere man, much less a simple Paramecia!" Enel smirked arrogantly and stabbed forward with his trident. Luffy raised his right food and kicked the air beneath it. In doing so, he still used too much force and accidentally sent himself flying into the air, but he stopped himself by turning around and kicking the air above him with his outstretched right leg. Again, he used an inappropriate amount of force since he still had very little idea on how much was required.

He was sent flying toward the ruins. Just as he was about to crash, he grabbed hold of one of the larger ruined buildings and stopped himself. He twisted his body around in a way that would be unnatural to anyone but him and threw himself in Enel's direction.

The logia appeared before him in the air with the trident pointed in his direction, expecting Luffy to impale himself. He instead kicked the air underneath him and with that he flung himself above Enel, preventing himself from getting into contact with the weapon.

Enel turned into lighting and appeared above him and stabbed underneath, but Luffy dodged and grabbed the trident from the side, raised it in the air together with Enel and threw them both into the ground.

Enel did not crash into ground, as he turned into lighting a moment before doing so. He was back at Luffy again. The rubber-man stretched his right leg sideways and whipped Enel from the right with it.

The logia spat out blood as he finally stopped himself in the air. He glared at Luffy, who motioned for him to come get him with a smirk.

He lunged toward his opponent with his trident. Luffy again sidestepped the weapon, but then punched forward with right hand. The self-proclaimed god turned into lighting and moved backward, but while he was able to avoid most of the damage, he still got hit. He reformed back into his body and spat out more blood.

Zoro smirked as he watched from the ruins.

'That lighting bastard has no chance against Luffy.' he thought. 'He can barely even keep up with him.'

"How can this battle be happening?" Gan Fall asked as he saw Luffy stop himself from falling by kicking the air, which sent him accidentally crashing towards Enel, who had just recomposed himself from the hit. "How is he fighting in the air?"

"Captain-san has become capable of using an air-walking technique." Robin replied, causing him to look at her in astonishment. After a moment they turned back to the battle, where Luffy avoided getting hit by the trident by kicking the air, though he again used a lot more leg force than necessary, so it sent him crashing into the nearest giant tree.

She sweat-dropped.

" … though he isn't very good at it." she added after a moment. He nodded a few times.

Back at the battlefield, Enel appeared behind Luffy, who was trying to free his head from the tree trunk. He stabbed forward with his trident and Luffy used his observation haki to dodge the stab. Because Enel also used observation however, he anticipated the dodge, so he struck differently. What happened then was that Luffy was stabbed on the side with one of the tridents teeth. He managed to avoid the worst however.

His opponent removed the trident from his body and prepared to strike him again, but Luffy hardened his head with armament haki and pulled it out and struck Enel in the chest with his Gomu Gomu no Backwards Bell or something of the sort.

Enel crashed down into the ruins and Luffy turned around and jumped after him.

After a few moments Enel rose up again, though this time he had some trouble. He spat out more blood.

"Yahahaha! I got you!" he announced arrogantly, like he had already won with that single stab. He pointed at Luffy.

"Oh, that?" Luffy asked as he lifted the fabric of his cardigan on his left side, revealing a nasty looking wound, from which blood flowed freely. The three straw hats winced upon seeing this. Nami covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

"Don't think you've won by giving me such a small wound." Luffy continued mockingly. "I barely even feel that!"

"Small wound he says … " Nami muttered in disbelief.

"If you're god, then shouldn't you have killed me by now?" Luffy asked and smirked. "Instead you brag about getting one hit in."

He took a step forward.

"I'm still standing." he added. Enel gritted his teeth and attacked again. This time, Luff dodged the attempted stab again, but then gripped the golden weapon with his right hand and stretched back his left arm and armored it.

"**Gomu Gomu no Pistol!**" he announced and punched forward. Enel concentrated too much on getting the trident from Luffy's hand, so when he noticed what Luffy was about to do, he had no time to avoid the punch.

Subsequently, he was sent flying. Without his weapon. Luffy looked at the golden trident and smirked.

"Nice stick." he commented. "I think I'll keep it."

By now, Enel was struggling to even stand. He spat out more blood and clutched his chest.

Wiper watched in disbelief.

'Just how powerful is this man?' he thought. 'All the warriors who have encountered Enel so far have been defeated effortlessly, including Kamakiri, and yet …'

"D-Don't think this is over, i-insolent m-mortal!" Enel growled. He seemed to have trouble speaking. Luffy laughed.

"No it isn't." he replied. He threw the trident back to his enemy, which caused half of the observers to freak out. Most notably perhaps, Nami.

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" she shouted from the behind him. Zoro shook his head.

"It's honor." he told her. "He is allowing Enel to fight with his chosen weapon."

She sighed and face-palmed in irritation.

Enel caught the weapon and then lightning surrounded it.

"**Gloam Paddling!**" he announced. Everyone looked at the god in anticipation of what he was about to do. The weapon turned back into a staff and everyone blinked in confusion. Then the lightning surrounded it again and after a moment, he somehow started shooting tiny bits of gold from it at Luffy.

Luffy dodged the approaching bits of gold that shot towards him with super speed, intended to pierce his body. Luffy kept swaying left and right, easily dodging most of them. A few pierced his clothes, but none of them could hit _him_.

"How is he doing that?" Nami asked in shock.

"It seems that's what mastering observation haki means." Zoro replied, however he was shocked as well by Luffy's display.

After a few moments of dodging, Luffy decided that it was enough. He activated his Soru and lunged forward, twisting and stretching his arm behind him.

"**Armament!** **Gomu Gomu no … **" he announced. A gold "bullet" brushed his shoulder, but he ignored it.

"... **Rifle!**" he completed the attack name and struck Enel in the chest with the powerful technique. His foe collapsed on the ground.

* * *

_Okay. Enel is finally done. I hope you liked the fight. The next chapter will deal with the crew finally getting their prize from Skypea and leaving the place. I've decided that the straw hats will get very, very rich, but not as rich as that number of berry that was written in an author's note before. But you'll see everything in the next chapter. _

_Honestly, I've spent way too much time on this arc. The only reason I didn't wrap it up in this chapter is because I thought this chapter should be about the battle and it'd kinda ruin it if I included other stuff. But hey, its possible that I'll write the next chapter today. That's not a definite thing though. _

_I hope there aren't any hardcore Enel worshippers here, who view Enel as an admiral level fighter. Because if they are, I'll be getting lots of nasty comments. Enel was tough enough to withstand a few regular haki-infused punches and even that seems kinda a lot for a guy, who collapsed after being hit by one Pistol, a few Gatling punches and one Bazooka. And a haki punch is much stronger than that. I mean, he did stand up soon after getting hit by those in the main story, but a haki infused Pistol is a Pacifista buster. Though to be fair, I haven't met any of those hardcore Enel fans on this site yet (just on forums)._

_Anyway, not much more to say. Hope you liked the chapter and please review. Unless you're going to flame or bitch about something endlessly. But you won't do that, right? _


	47. Flawless victory

**47. Flawless victory**

After defeating Enel, Luffy proceeded to ring the Golden Bell. Wiper tried to stop him, but he had already took off in the air. Of course, he still hadn't mastered the air-walking technique, so he kept crashing into random trees, ruins and above the forest, the beanstalk. If he wasn't rubber, he'd be seriously damaged from that.

Below them, Robin finally explained to Wiper the other reason for why they came to the sky, which was to ring the bell so that the descendant of Norland would hear it and after hearing it, Wiper was moved enough that he stopped being hostile to them.

Usopp stayed on the ship and took care of so it arrived on the agreed place.

Sanji apparently followed after Nami and Aisa after they were chased away by the giant snake in an effort to protect them, but he was too slow, so he arrived after everything was over and done. Which Zoro mocked him for. Of course, Sanji couldn't stay quiet and retorted that he was just saying that because he still hadn't awakened his haki. Zoro told him that he awakened it as well, which happened during his brutal fight with the strongest of the priests. Which wasn't that surprising. After all, their training of observation haki together was true brutality. Neither of them held back anything when swinging the bat, so it was imperative to dodge as much as possible using their senses. Regardless, after this and a few other mean comments, their conversation turned into a fight.

The fight surprisingly wasn't stopped by the navigator, but by the archeologist, since the navigator was busy sulking over there not being any gold in the city of gold. When she was eaten by the giant snake, she found some gold in there, but she concluded that it wasn't enough. It wasn't one billion or more. Not even close. Nevertheless, she planned to tell Luffy to knock the snake out so they could collect it.

Speaking of the snake, it woke up, but to the great relief of everyone present, she didn't start trashing around. On the contrary, the snake seemed to be taking extra care not to break anything in the ruined city. Or that was how it looked like. It seemed happy and started looking all over Shandora, ignoring the people.

The archeologist went to continue exploring the ruins and checking over the damage done in the fight. Although Luffy was partly responsible for that, she decided not to hold it against him, since he did not do it intentionally and actually prevented a few ruins from being destroyed before the fight.

Zoro leaned on the nearest ruin and fell asleep after his argument with the cook, who was now trying to calm down the navigator. Having learned and tested his flying blade attacks, he was content. Though Luffy told him that his names for them were "boring".

Chopper was out, but he was checked over and bandaged by the archeologist, before she continued exploring. He was left alongside Zoro.

Aisa was glad that Enel was done, but was sad about everyone who was hurt. But then, Laki found her and she knew that all would be okay. Other contestants in the Survival game also started regaining consciousness. How they were alive nobody knows.

Conis was glad to see that her blue sea friends were okay, but saddened when reminded of her father. Pagaya however was somehow still alive and found his way to her after a while.

Gan Fall and Pierre took off and located the imprisoned enforcers and free them and after that they went to locate both of the previously warring sites, who had just joined together in an effort to escape the island. Before he could reach any of them however, a bell started ringing.

After finally reaching it, Luffy used a Gomu Gomu no Giganto Pistol to ring the bell, though he didn't use very much force so as to not destroy it. It was still enough to send it falling down however.

After hearing the bell, both sides of the war knew that their 400-years of fighting were over. It must have meant that Enel had been beaten too, but despite that they still stayed on their ships, not willing to take any chances. Speaking of Enel, he, after regaining his consciousness, quickly ran with the power of lightning (quite literally) to find his flying ship. He might have planned to use his Raigou (thunder greeting) to try and kill everyone and everything, but after nearly getting a heart attack (not that it would kill him since he's lightning anyway) when Luffy appeared underneath his ship and stole a lot of his backup jet dials, he must have decided against trying anything. He left with his ship, while mumbling something about going to Fairy Vearth.

After hearing the bell ringing the huge snake Nola cried. Several south birds flew from the Upper Yard forest, heading towards the sound.

Back on the blue sea, Montblanc Cricket, Masira and Shoujou looked in the sky together when they heard the ringing. Cricket thought that perhaps now it was time to start chasing some other ridiculous legend. And he was sure that his two fans would no doubt agree with him on that.

After a while and after being informed by Gan Fall that it was safe to return to their homes, the two previously warring sides returned to their homes. However, many Skylanders wanted to see the enforcers who were confirmed to be mostly okay and the Shandians wanted to find their warriors and Aisa. Thus, a temporary truce was established. A truce that would ultimately lead to peace.

After all the sides met and everything was explained and everyone's wounds were bandaged, a party broke out. It became clear that nobody would fight anymore. Not even the previously aggressive snake. Usopp and Luffy managed to get a lot of different dials from the people, trading rubber bands (Usopp) and some of the Jet dials (Luffy). Luffy had also collected a few of the Axe and Impact dials along the way from the fallen enforcers. Usopp got every one of the ordinary dials, while Luffy traded for a few Flame dials, a Breath dial (after all, releasing a fart in an opponent's face would be priceless). He also got the dial he was most excited about, the Reject dial, though the man who traded it to him kept warning him about its deadliness.

In the morning, Nami decided that they will enter the snake's stomach while it was still sleeping and steal the gold. Luffy refused to comply, knowing that there was more gold to be found. He only hoped that the people would be willing to give them some, but he thought they might. Gold was after all, neither known nor valued as much here in the sky.

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

A short distance from most of the straw hats, a joined force of both Skylanders and Shandians pulled the Golden Bell back to the Upper Yard soil.

Robin watched as they observed the bell and the poneglyph. After a while, she chose to appear.

"What does it say?" somebody asked. The Shandian chief shook his head.

She walked past the onlookers towards the bell.

"Something best left unknown." he replied. "We have only-"

"Keep thy motives in heart, with closed mouth." she interrupted, startling everyone.

"We are those who will weave history." she continued. "With the ringing of the Great Belfry."

He gasped.

"How do you know these words?" he asked. She didn't stop to look at him and continued walking past him.

"They were inscribed on the ruins of Shandora." she answered. "You've been charged with guarding this for generations, correct?"

"You mean to say that you can read the writing?" the chief asked in disbelief. Several onlookers gulped.

"Possessing the name of a god, the ancient weapon, Poseidon." she replied. "It tells of its location."

Several people started talking at once.

"She said it was a weapon … "

" … Ancient weapon … "

" … what's that? … "

" … why would it say that? … "

She didn't answer as she was deep in thought.

'Another weapon.' she mused. 'Different from the one in Arabasta.'

She turned to leave when someone told her that was not all. He pointed at the smaller inscription in the gold, next to the poneglyph.

She turned and immediately, her eyes widened.

"Gol D Roger?" she gasped out. She read the rest of the inscription.

_I have come here and will lead this passage to the farthest end of the world._

_Pirate, Gol D Roger_

"The Pirate King?" she spoke. "So he did come to the sky island, just as Luffy said. But what does this inscription mean? More importantly, how was he able to use the writing?"

After a while, her shock only increased, as she realized that he must have meant what she is searching for, the Rio Poneglyph. Outwardly she didn't show it, but she was excited. Her dream was a step closer.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_You had your own reasons to comply with Crocodile … what were they?"_

_"Protection. And the chance to see the Poneglyph of Arabasta. I'm searching for the Rio Poneglyph."_

_"I can offer you both if you want ..."_

* * *

She smiled. Then she turned around.

"Chief, this ponegyph has already fulfilled its duty." she told him.

"Its duty?" he repeated.

She turned back to the poneglyph and considered her findings.

"You mean ..." the Chief started after a moment, interrupting her from her thoughts. "Our duty has been fulfilled?"

Tears started gathering in his eyes.

"We don't have to fight any longer?" he asked. "I see. Our ancestors' wish has been fulfilled."

He fell on his knees. A few of his men became concerned, but he was good. He was glad. Relieved.

However, such an emotional moment can only exist undisturbed for so long.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Everyone turned the heads in the direction of the voice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"What's that?" someone asked. Then something crashed in the nearby tree. Robin barely resisted the sudden urge to face-palm, already knowing who it was.

Everyone looked at the tree trunk, where a certain rubber man was stuck. Again. Said rubber man proceeded to get his little head from the tree trunk and then fell down on the ground, causing many of the observers to wince.

After a while he got up again and looked around.

"Oh, Robin! Weird ossan!" Luffy chirped out in greeting. Robin lifted a hand in greeting, while Gan Fall shook his hand at his "nickname".

"So you've found the poneglyph, eh Robin?" he asked with a grin after he noticed what was underneath the bell. She nodded, but also noted in her mind that Luffy had said the word correctly.

"That's great!" he announced cheerfully. He looked at the bell. "And the bell is made out of gold! How cool is that?"

She smiled.

"How much do you think it's worth?" he asked her. Her eyes widened.

"Errm, Luffy, we can't take this! It belongs to-" she started.

"Actually." the chief interrupted her. "We can't give you the bell, but you can take the support pillar there!"

Luffy grinned.

"Really?" he asked. Many of them nodded.

"That's a great idea!" someone said. "After all, we need to repay your crew for all you've done here!"

"That's great! Nami went to take the gold that was in the snake's mouth, but this is worth much, much more than that!"

"Snake's mouth?" everyone asked. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah, Nami was eaten by the giant snake while we were fighting and she found some gold in there!" he continued. Everyone sweat-dropped. Why would anyone willingly enter a giant animals' mouth?

"So we can take this?" Luffy asked. The chief nodded and smiled.

"You did defeat Enel for us!" he replied. "And we won't miss the gold. It's not worth very much here on Skypiea, you see."

Luffy grinned.

"Then we'll gladly accept the gold." Robin answered with a smile. The chief ordered the able-bodied men to wrap the gold in some sort of giant paper or something. Luffy presumed it was to conceal it, but he could help but think that the Skypeans were way too optimistic if they thought their crew could take all of the pillar.

"By the way, kid, you remind me of Roger, you know." Gan Fall commented after watching the Skylanders prepare the straw hats gift for them. "You give off the same air that he did!"

Luffy turned to him with a wide-eyed expression.

"Really?" he asked. 'I remind him of the pirate king?!'

After that he grinned.

"I am a D as well. My name is Monkey D Luffy." he continued after a few moments. "Maybe that's the reason? We D's are quite similar. Or so I hear."

The knight's eyes widened for a split second before he also smiled.

"A name with a D?" he asked. "I see. It suits you, I think."

Luffy laughed. Robin looked at him.

"What do you know about the will of D, Captain-san?" she asked him. He pouted.

"Again with the Captain-san." he grumbled. She shook her head.

"You're the first pirate captain to dislike being called captain." she told him. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"You know, there's only 7 of us so far." he told her. "There's really no need for formalities."

She shrugged.

"I guess you're right." she finally admitted. "Mind telling me now, _Luffy_?"

He chuckled after she emphasized his name.

"Well, I don't know much about it." he admitted after a while. "Just that D's tend to cause massive global sized changes."

He smirked.

"I guess I've already caused some of those." he said after a while. 'After all, I'm pretty sure Arabasta, Drum and Cocoyashi trust me way more than the government right now. I hope that doesn't change once my father is revealed.'

"You know." Robin said after a few moments. "You've said that I was mysterious, Luffy. But I think you're the greatest mystery in this crew."

He looked at her with a thoughtful expression.

"Is that so?" he asked her.

"I'm not the only one who thinks so." she told him. "The crew has also been talking about you a lot."

He sighed.

"And?" he asked.

"They are concerned about you. About what happened to you." she answered. "Luffy, why do you have nightmares?"

"Isn't it normal for people to have nightmares?" he asked her. She shook her head.

"Not if you have them so often." she told him. He opened his mouth to say something, but refrained from it.

"What happened to you?" she asked again. He shook his head.

"Like I said, I can't tell you anything yet." he replied.

"You know, the only reason nobody else has said anything is because Swordsman-san forbade them." she told him. He looked at her with widened eyes. "Does he know anything?"

Luffy shook his head.

"When we first met, I've told him that I'll explain anything once our crew's main positions are filled." he answered after a while. She nodded.

"So he doesn't actually know anything?" she asked. He shook his head.

She sighed.

"You can't keep this from your crew forever, you know." she told him. He looked at her.

"I don't intend to."

* * *

A few minutes later …

* * *

Luffy and Robin marched alongside the golden pillar, which was being carried by the Skypieans.

After seeing them approach, the rest of the straw hats, who were carrying bags of treasure, proceeded to run away, thinking it was some sort of cannon.

"HEY GUYS!" Luffy yelled. "STOP!"

They seemed not to heard him, so he shook his head, earning a chuckle from his companion. He activated his Soru and dashed ahead, quickly catching up to them.

"Hey, what are you guys doing?" he asked.

"What does it look like, shithead?!" Sanji yelled. "We're running!"

Luffy chose to ignore the comment and instead asked for a "why".

"Don't you see that cannon thing?!" Usopp yelled.

"It's not a cannon!" Luffy whined. Everyone stopped. Luffy started looking into their bags. What especially caught his eye was the sword that was in Sanji's bag. He picked it up, looking in wonder at its golden design. Then he unsheathed it and looked at the blade. His face fell as he noticed that the blade was beaten up and ruined by time. Unsurprisingly. He reached into Usopp's bag and pulled out a golden ring with a ruby in it and put it on his right index finger. He looked at it.

"Looks cool." he

"Hey!" Nami yelled. "You'd better not take that ring!"

Luffy looked at her with a raised eyebrow after pulling a crown out of Chopper's bag and putting it on his head.

"Seriously, Nami?" he deadpanned. "You're going to annoy me for taking one little ring after getting you all that gold?"

She gained a tick above her eye.

"What gold did you get us?" she shouted with razor-sharp teeth. "We got this ourselves! You refused to go, remember?"

Luffy grinned.

"I was talking about that gold!" Luffy chirped out cheerfully and pointed at the approaching giant object.

"T-T-That's all gold?" she asked in disbelief. He nodded.

All their jaws fell on the ground.

"I-If that's all gold, i-it's way more than a b-b-billion!" she stuttered. He nodded.

Her eyes turned into Berry.

"Nami, from now on, we're billionaires." he told her and grinned.

What she did next was totally unexpected.

"Hey, Luffy!" she called. "Free hug!"

She hugged him and Luffy returned the hug while chuckling. Everyone gaped at her. Sanji was sulking.

"Why does Luffy get to hug the beautiful Nami-swan!" he said in his depressed state. Luffy sweat-dropped.

'Hopeless Sanji.' he thought. 'We become the richest crew in paradise and that's all you think about.'

She let go of him.

"Sanji-kun!" she chirped out cheerfully. "Free hug!"

Immediately he jumped up to hug her, his mood changing completely.

"Hey, love-cook, stop groping her ass." Zoro commented. Sanji glared at him with his only visible eye as he let go of her rear.

"Oh, I'm so happy I don't even care!" Nami yelled out in joy as she released him and went to hug Chopper, whom she nearly crushed with her hug.

"If you're so happy, why don't you forgive my debt?" Zoro asked her with a smirk. Usopp stared at him with a 'you're-so-asking-for-it' expression.

"Humpf. Like Nami-san would do that!" Sanji smirked.

"DONE!" Nami shouted. Everyone's eyes bulged out. After a moment Luffy smirked.

"Hey, Nami, I need a few billion for expenses." he told her. Everyone looked at him in horror.

'Luffy, you're so dead.' Usopp thought while he was being crushed with a hug.

"As long as you use them well, captain." Nami announced. Everyone's jaws dropped into the ground, even Luffy's.

"Wow. She is really happy." Chopper announced. "For a moment there I thought Luffy was a goner."

After a while, Nami went running towards a very bewildered looking Robin to give her a hug as well.

When the gift arrived to the ship, the straw hats quickly learned, when comparing the pillar and the ship, that there was no way they were going to get all that on board. Half of it was the most they could possibly fit and even that was stretching it.

Luffy quickly put himself and Zoro to use as they started to cut the golden pillar into smaller and smaller pieces and then put them in large wooden boxes that the Skylanders were kind enough to bring. Many were also put into the big paper thing that the pillar was previously wrapped into. After all, it wouldn't be good if they just left them lying on the deck without any kind of concealment. Overall, after many hours of near slave labour, they managed to fit roughly half of the gold on the pirate ship, Going Merry.

Do you wish to know how much gold they got? Yes, I bet you do.

* * *

_Okay, done writing. Hope you liked this chapter. I just want to say that I'm already expecting nasty comments on how such a huge amount of money will ruin everything. In fact, I'd even be willing to bet on it. After all, if nasty comments wouldn't appear, it just wouldn't be as fun anymore. By the way, One Piece is a dream and the rumoured greatest treasure in the world. (Spoiler)Doflamingo wants it and he kinda ... owns a kingdom. A kingdom that was gifted __this very pillar__. THE __WHOLE__ PILLAR! Also, he's the Joker, the man with the greatest influence in the New world underworld. So I'm pretty certain he doesn't really need One Piece for money. If you do, well, you're kinda stupid then. (/Spoiler) So don't tell me that getting this makes the One Piece meaningless. Really, don't. It's stupid, ridiculous, retarded and many other bad things._

_I wonder, would the Straw hats get a bigger ship, since they have more money? Please state your opinion on that. _

_Also, I already have something in mind for those billions that Luffy wants to have. Care to guess? If nothing else, you can give me some new brilliant (or not) ideas. Also, I was given a suggestion to make the straw hats spend all their money on some ridiculously expensive island which explodes after that, taking all their money with it. Ermmm, one thing. This is not a cartoon, when characters suddenly become horribly rich/famous/or whatever and then the next day, next episode, they are the same as in the beginning. If I didn't want them to have the gold, I wouldn't have given it to them in the first place._

_If you think that Nami should have killed Luffy after he asked her that question, then you really have no faith or liking for Nami. After learning that they owned a few hundreds of billions of Berry, I doubt she'd get very caught up for "a few" billion Berry, especially in her joyful state. Also, in this fic, Luffy kinda has the 'I'm-Captain-So-Don't-Screw-With-Me' aura. Or something to that effect. And the crew and Nami trust his judgement a lot more than in canon._

_Also, Enies Lobby will happen, but it will be very different. Details are still being worked out. Also, there will be no G-8 arc here . I simply have no ideas for it, so even though it's the best filler arc by far, I'll just ignore it. It's not canon anyway. Also, the straw hats will arrive in Water 7 after six or so chapters, so suggestions for the arc are still welcome and actually encouraged. _

_Jesus Burgess this chapter is long! I hope it's a good compensation for no chapter in the last two days. Thank you for reading. Please review and don't bitch about stuff too much, please. It's annoying enough to write with my neck hurting, it being dark, me being horribly lazy, etc, etc._


	48. Just an ordinary day in piracy

_I have two things to say before we begin this chapter._

_**1.**__ There's a fanfiction story that has recently caught my attention, but hasn't been getting enough love IMHO. It's called A different take by the author called pervertmonster. It's basically an alternate start fic, where Luffy has been taken by the World government and put through various experiments at an early age. He's later been rescued and became different. He's stronger and has some sort of beastly transformation connected to his DF. Oh and he also eats meat raw. Including people. :D Kinda awesome if you ask me. Anyway, check out this fic if you think it's something you'd like. (it also updates frequently, once every day for now and chapters are quite long)_

_2. I'd like to thank you once again (yeah, it's kind of a common phrase :D ) for all your support so far and general lenience to my occasional screw-ups. Right now, we're approaching 700 reviews (688 at the time of writing) and the last chapter has had the highest number of them so far. 49. This fic has nearly reached 500 in the number of favorites (494) and follows (478). It has surpassed 150.000 views (157.568 currently). It's also been added to 7 communities. Among One Piece fics it's 29th in the number of reviews, 15th in the number of favorites and 5th in the number of followers. So, thanks again for all your support. _

**48. Just an ordinary day in piracy**

After landing back down on the Blue Sea (with the help of a friendly octopus), the wound in the ships' keel expanded. Luffy knew this. He heard the creaking, but since his crew was in such good spirits, he simply didn't have the heart to tell them yet.

After some emergency repairs by Usopp, they set sail towards the next destination. Luffy knew already what that was. Water 7. He hoped to avoid both of the near disasters the crew suffered there. He was pretty sure that with proper handling of the situation, Usopp wouldn't leave the crew again, but it was another matter with Robin. He didn't know what he should do with her. Would she really do the same thing considering how much stronger he had proven to be this time? Logic told him no, but there was that uneasy feeling.

"You can do it, captain." a familiar childish voice encouraged him. His eyes opened and widened. He sat up on the hammock that he had laid on.

'Merry?' he asked in thought.

"I'm still here, my captain!" the voice chirped out cheerfully.

'Do you think Robin will do it again, Merry?' he asked.

"You don't know, so I don't know, captain!" the voice told him. He grimaced.

'Right.' he thought. He looked at the door for a few moments.

'You know, it's really awkward if you know all my thoughts.' he thought after a while.

"_Captain!_" the childish voice scolded. "I'd never betray your thoughts."

The was a silence for a while.

" … even the dirty ones." the voice added after a while. Luffy's jaw dropped slightly, while his face gained a tint of red. He huffed and turned his head to the left.

The voice laughed cheekily.

Luffy stood up after a moment and got a shirt on.

'My ship just accused me of being a pervert.' he thought to himself. He half expected another comment from the childish sounding voice, but thankfully he received none. He shook his head. He climbed up the mast and headed towards the kitchen, walking between the large boxes and crates of gold on the deck.

'I wonder what Sanji made for breakfast.' Luffy thought and a few ideas flashed in his mind, making his mouth water. Then as he approached the door, he overheard some things being said.

"-but what if he overhears you?!" a voice called out, presumably Usopp.

"Nami-swan can talk about anything she wants!" Sanji swooned. Luffy could just imagine him swirling around with a heart in his eye.

"Right. Thank you, Sanji-kun!" Nami answered.

"My pleasure, Nami-san!" the blond cook answered. "I exist only to serve a goddess such as yourself."

"Humpf, idiot cook." a gruff sounding voice commented.

"Why you shitty Marimo!" the cook responded.

"ENOUGH!" Nami yelled and presumably bonked their heads. She sighed. "Now what do you think? Is he gay or not?"

Luffy's eyes widened.

'What?' he thought. 'They're talking about _that_?'

"I don't think you should be talking about this." Zoro answered her. "For one thing, it's none of your business, witch."

"Oh shut up, Zoro." the orange-haired navigator shushed him. Luffy smirked.

'It's so nice to hear Zoro defending my privacy like that.' he thought.

"Yeah, don't talk to Nami-swan like that!" Sanji yelled.

"Arrm, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked. Luffy heard something that sounded like a mini tornado move across the room.

"Yes, Nami-san?" he asked after a moment.

"What do you think about it?" she asked him. He was quiet for a moment.

"The rubber bastard is probably gay." he spoke after a moment. "He never did appreciate the beauty of our lovely ladies."

"Thanks, Sanji-kun." Nami told him. Luffy could hear someone snort.

"Yeah right." Zoro replied. "You're only agreeing with her because you want to get into her pants."

"Why you shitty-"

"Honestly, if your advances were anymore obvious, you'd be asking for her panties." Zoro continued. A fight presumably broke out between them, while Luffy had to hold his mouth with both of his hands so as not to erupt in laughter.

Then something crashed in the kitchen. Luffy assumed it was Sanji and Zoro getting pounded into the ground.

"Anyway." Nami announced in a dangerous tone. "Usopp?"

"I'm not going to say anything." he answered.

"Oh, come on Usopp." Nami pleaded. Usopp sighed.

"No." he told her. "I don't care if he's gay or not."

"I'll lower your debt if you answer." she offered.

"You haven't asked Robin yet." he told her. She sighed.

"Robin?" Nami pleaded.

"Fufufufu … if you want to know, just ask him yourself." she replied. "After all, he's standing in front of the door."

Luffy looked around and saw an eye on the nearby wall. He glared at it and pouted. After a while he opened the door and entered into the kitchen. He grinned upon seeing the stares.

"Shishishi, you guys are all so funny!" he told them. They blinked a few times.

"Is breakfast ready yet?" he asked after a moment.

"Soon." Sanji replied. He nodded and grinned and then sat on one of the empty seats, which was between Robin and Zoro. Usopp was on the other side of the table, Sanji was standing and Chopper wasn't there, because he was on watch duty.

Next to Zoro sat Nami who shot him an annoyed look.

"So?" she asked. Luffy turned to her with faked confusion.

"Shishishi, so … what, Nami?" he asked. She raised her clenched fist. Luffy flinched slightly.

"Are you gay or not?" she nearly yelled. Robin, who sat next to him at the table, trying to read a book, shook her head with a small chuckle.

Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"How should I put this?" he said in a quiet tone, but then he raised his finger. "Ah!"

He pointed with his right index finger at Nami's chest and with his left at Robin's.

"I like _those_." he said and grinned. Everyone looked surprised by the blunt proclamation. Nami gained a tick above her eye.

"THAT'S WAY TOO BLUNT!" she yelled and punched him. His neck stretched and his head fell into Robin's bosom.

He quickly stretched it back and glared at Nami.

"Nami!" he whined. "Why'd you do that for? Now Robin's going to be mad at me!"

He turned around and looked at Robin who indeed put her book down on the table. She turned to her right where the rest of them sat. She crossed her arms.

"No, Robin, don't strangle me!" Luffy yelled. But nothing happened.

He blinked in confusion and turned to his right. He saw Nami getting pushed into Zoro's lap by a multitude of hands. The hands then soon disappeared.

"Humpf. Witches and their _fun_." Zoro grunted in annoyance. He did not appreciate being part of Robin's "revenge".

"MARIMO!" Sanji yelled angrily. "STOP PUSHING NAMI-SAN'S HEAD INTO YOUR LAP!"

Luffy snorted. Others sweat-dropped.

'Well, done Sanji.' he thought. 'Way to COMPLETELY misinterpret the situation.'

"Sanji ..." Usopp told him and shook his head repeatedly.

"Fufufufu! My, my, Nami-san seems to like Swordsman-san!" Robin commented. Nami, who just raised her head glared at her. Luffy burst into laughter as did Usopp.

"Nami-swan!" Sanji yelled as he swirled back to her from the stove, crying anime tears. "Tell me it's not true."

"It's not!" she yelled and barely refrained from smacking his head.

After a few moments, breakfast was finally ready and the crew started eating. Luffy started practically devouring the food and the rest of the crew quickly followed. Luffy was no more merciful at the table than in his previous lifetime and he was much faster too, so it sometimes took all their effort to keep anything on their plates.

"Would you stop taking everything?!" Sanji yelled at him and smacked him over the head from the other side of the table.

"But Sanji!" Luffy whined. "It's training! Speed training!"

"That's a shitty excuse!" he yelled at him, losing another piece of meat from his plate.

"Honestly, who raised you, Luffy?!" Nami yelled as barely prevented Luffy from taking everything from her plate. Luffy snatched a piece of meat from Usopp and devoured it. He stretched his left hand to Robin's plate, but it was slapped away by a disembodied arm.

"Gramps. Also, mountain bandits!" he muttered while munching on a steak he stole from Zoro.

"Mountain bandits?" Nami repeated, but then she glared at him when she lost half of the fries from her plate.

"Yeah." Luffy confirmed, ignoring her glare. "When with mountain bandits, I had to be really aggressive at the table if I wanted to eat."

He devoured her fries and he smirked at her. She clenched her fist in anger. His right hand traveled to Zoro, who quickly stabbed his piece of meat with a fork.

"But thankfully, I was the best, so I had little trouble!" he bragged and puffed out his chest.

"Yeah, I bet." Usopp said dryly.

"Well, Sabo and Ace usually gave me trouble and they sometimes managed to get something from my plate, but no-one else could compete with me." Luffy continued. Most of the straw-hats looked at him in surprise.

"Ace stole from your plate?" Nami asked. "B-But he has such good manners!"

Luffy grinned.

"Oh, don't let that fool you!" he told them. "He only got his manners like a year before they left and only because Sabo told him that he's bad with people."

He paused for a while.

"Which was true, by the way." he continued. "He didn't bother with me though."

"You were _that_ hopeless?" Usopp asked. The straw-hats snickered. Luffy grinned.

"Nah, he always said that most people naturally seem to like me even if I'm rude, so there's no point." he explained to them. Usopp gained a thoughtful expression while he was munching on his food.

"It _is_ kinda true." he admitted. "Everywhere we've been, people mostly liked you. While they were usually scared of Zoro."

"OI!" Zoro yelled and violently stabbed his fork into a bunch of fries.

"See?" Usopp muttered. Everyone laughed.

"Yeah, Zoro's face is pretty scary." Nami added. He glared at her. She laughed.

"You know, you're not going to disprove that by looking at me like that!" she told him. He grumbled something and turned to his food, which was now gone.

Usopp stood from the table after a while, having eaten his meal.

"I'm going to replace Chopper so he can come and eat." he told them. Luffy grinned.

"Okay. Keep an eye for any islands." he replied.

Usopp nodded and left. Soon afterward Chopper entered the kitchen with a drooling mouth and sat down. Robin smiled upon seeing him. He was the first member that she formed a serious bond with. After all, they were the most alike. (Also, he was cute and fluffy.)

Chopper started munching down on his food that was handed to him on a platter. Luffy left his plate more or less alone, knowing that he was up for most of the night.

"Chopper, before you go to sleep I need to talk to you about something." he told him. Chopper looked at him and nodded, food still in his mouth. He continued to eat. After a while Nami left the kitchen.

"Ahem, Luffy?" Zoro asked. Luffy looked at him.

"Hmmm, what's up, Zoro?" he asked.

"I've been thinking … " Zoro started. Sanji snorted.

"That's new … " he smirked.

"Oh, shut up." Zoro muttered, but didn't add the usual insult. "Anyway, I think the gap between us in fighting power is way too big."

Luffy raised an eyebrow.

"I think we should increase our training." he said. Luffy gulped down the food he was munching on.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Sparring." Zoro answered with a smirk. "And not like that time before Arabasta. I don't want you to hold back."

Luffy narrowed his eyes.

"You know, I don't want to cripple you." he replied. Zoro sighed.

"You don't have to go all-out either." he told him. "Just make an effort. Use that Soru thing that you use for speed."

Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"Okay." he replied after a while. "But I won't use my sword."

Zoro grinned.

"Hey, I'm in too!" Sanji said after a moment. Zoro snorted.

"Like you could survive the training." he replied mockingly.

"Why you stupid Marimo!" Sanji seethed.

After a while longer and a fight which Luffy thoroughly enjoyed watching, Zoro left the kitchen to lift some weights. Chopper left to the men's quarters and Luffy followed him. After they arrived, Chopper turn around.

* * *

"So what did you want to talk about, Luffy?" Chopper asked. Luffy sighed.

"Do you have anything that would help me sleep?" he asked. Chopper blinked.

"Well, I could make you something for that, but I'll need some things from the next island we dock at." he replied. Luffy sighed.

"You don't have the stuff you need?" he asked. Chopper shook his head.

"We're running low." he replied. "Before Sky Island, we were kinda poor and Nami said that we can only buy what we absolutely need."

"Okay." Luffy said and smiled. "I should be able to wait until then. It shouldn't be that until the next island."

Chopper looked at him for a few seconds. It seemed he had something to say, but was afraid of saying it.

"What?" Luffy asked. Chopper looked up at him.

"Luffy, … who are Brook and Jimbei?" he asked.

Luffy froze.

'They know … ' he thought.

"I … they were my friends … " Luffy answered after a while. He looked on the ground. "But … but they died a long time ago."

Chopper nodded solemnly.

"Zoro said not to ask you." he told him. Luffy flinched. "But we all want to know what happened to you."

Luffy nodded.

"I'll tell you, but not yet." he answered. "I'm not ready. It's hard to talk about it."

Chopper looked on the ground and nodded again in understanding. Luffy was thankful that Chopper didn't push the issue.

"Oh, I need to ask you about something else!" he suddenly shouted. Chopper was startled and quickly looked up.

"You're our super doctor-" Luffy started.

"Shut up, praising me doesn't make me happy at all, asshole!" Chopper shouted as he danced his little happy dance. Luffy smiled.

"Chopper, what do you know about … "

* * *

_Before I start, I'll let you know that I'm expecting nasty comments for Luffy not being oh so very innocent anymore. It's kind of turning into a running gag, isn't it? Me talking about expecting flames, I mean ... :D But whatever, I don't care. So, yeah, Luffy has dirty thoughts. Probably involving threesomes, foursomes or anything. :D By the way, I've got some pretty funny ideas for ... well, you'll see. :) Eventually. But yeah, I think everyone has dirty thoughts. I've got them too. At the most awkward of times too. Or so that its just weird. Such as I'm eating in the freaking restaurant and something so nastily dirty pops into my mind ... Nevermind, off topic. Anyway, Luffy is sort of more grown up, so yeah. Though I've actually deleted some of the planned interactions, because I didn't want Merry to turn into Momosuke or something. Merry should stay cute! :D_

_Also, I'm sorry for making Luffy crash his head for a second in Robin's boobs. I know I'm horrible! I hope you're happy with it, Nitishu. I did this for you, since you've helped me a lot! :) By the way, I considered crashing his head into Robin's lap, but to do that, Nami would have to smack his head down and she punched him while she was seated, so ... physics. I think. She'd have to punch him under a different angle I think. But I may be just imagining it wrongly or something. By the way, there is no NamixZoro. None. If Usopp sat where Zoro did, she'd push her head into his lap/crotch instead. I'm only saying this because sometimes some people see romantic developments ... everywhere. _

_Hmmm, also, when I asked what you thought Luffy would spend his money on, I was maybe expecting something out of the box. I mean, to me at least, the Sunny is an extremely obvious investment. So is seastone I think. By the way, I used a wrong choice of words. When I said 'bigger ship' I really meant 'bigger Sunny'. My evil horrible plan of evil horribleness continues. Can you figure any of it out? Though I won't tell you if you do. *chuckles evilly* Because that would spoil you._

_I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you review. Oh, by the way, exams are done for the moment. The ones I failed or didn't even go to yet, I'll have to do at the end of August/beginning of September, so as long as I have the motivation, a chapter should come out every day. Note that nasty comments reduce motivation. _

_P.S.: Should I do a chapter on Foxy or just outright skip it and head to Aokiji? Note that I plan probably one or two chapters until Long or whatever island, so Aokiji won't be there next chapter either way._

_P.S.S: Should Sabo eat a Devil Fruit and if so, which one? (I'd generally say to limit yourself to Zoans, since Ace is Logia and Luffy is Paramecia. Probably a mystical Zoan too.) He can also stay without one, or his staff could eat a Zoan DF. Please note that this isn't voting and I won't decide based on how many people support a certain side. _


	49. For the future

**49. For the future**

After a short conversation, Chopper went to sleep and Luffy left the men's quarters by climbing the mast.

On the deck, Zoro was lifting his weights, while the two girls were relaxing in their chairs. Sanji swirled around them like a tornado, offering refreshments, even though they exited the kitchen not very long ago. Usopp was on the crow's nest. He was the one he was most worried about.

Should he tell them now? No, Chopper went to sleep and he'd prefer if he could tell everyone at once. He sighed in displeasure.

The girls noticed his annoyed expression.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked. He shook his head.

"Nothing." he lied. He could see Robin eying him suspiciously, but he ignored it.

'If we should have to fight the CP9, which we probably will, regardless of what Robin does, we'll need to be as strong as possible.' he thought to himself. He headed towards the figurehead.

'There's also the problem with Ace.' he thought. 'I can't really help him much right now. From what I know he'll get captured in the next two weeks or something like that, but I can't just leave everything and go after him.'

He sighed again. 'Not to mention that I have no real idea where he even is. I only know the direction.'

'If only I'd have killed that fat bastard in Jaya.' he mentally scolded himself. 'Screw Whitebeard's request. I should have just ignored it and said he attacked me.'

He really didn't want to go through either Impel Down or Marineford again, but unless something changed, he was headed in that direction. He'd have to storm the great prison again. That, at the very least, was nearly certain.

'This time it should be easier.' he thought to himself, but it didn't help any. Marineford and to a slightly lesser extent, Impel Down, was his own personal hell.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_'I'm so close.' he thought. 'Ace is in view.'_

_In front of him, Kizaru materialized._

"_Ooooh, its Straw Hat!" he announced. "The celestial dragons will be on my case if I let you go again."_

_He raised his leg high and kicked. A beam of light shot from the end of his foot._

"_DEATH WINK!"_

…_._

_The greatest swordsman in the world slashed wildly, sending powerful flying blade attacks across the battlefield, using only a fraction of his strength._

"_Now, what are you going to do?" the swordsman asked. "You're being pushed further and further away from your brother!"_

…_._

"_Back where you started!" Kizaru mocked and kicked him across the battlefield, not even bothering to use much haki._

…_._

_Smoker sped towards him using his Moku Moku no Mi and struck him across the head with his seastone-tipped jutte._

"_Straw Hat!" he snarled. "You won't leave this place!"_

…_._

_The encircling walls surrounded them. Whitebeard's attacks did not work against them._

_Magma rained from the sky. _

_'I must save Ace.' he thought._

_He jumped across the many terrified pirates, who nearly lost all hope._

_He ran ahead, unknowingly making hundreds of them follow his lead._

…_._

_He was hit by several cannonballs. He was bleeding everywhere._

…_._

"_Ararara! You've finally made it here." Aokiji announced._

"_Quite an entrance, son of Dragon!" Akainu continued._

"_This youngster sure is scary!" Kizaru commented._

_Luffy looked above them at Ace._

"_But, you're not ready for this stage yet." Aokiji told him solemnly. _

"_There is no way you can beat us, you know." Kizaru said._

…_._

_He tried to get past them. He activated his Gear Second. He followed after the pieces of frozen wood that he had thrown at the admirals and went through Kizaru's logia body._

"_Too slow." Kizaru told him as he appeared in front of him and kicked him into a building._

…_._

_Blades approached his brother's head._

"_ACEEEEE!" he yelled._

_Sand blades cut the executioners. _

…_. _

_An ice blade hit him in the shoulder._

"_I owe your grandfather." Aokiji announced. "But I have no choice. You've chosen your own death."_

…_._

"_I, Vice-Admiral Momonga, stake my pride as a member of the navy on stopping you here, Straw Hat."_

…_._

"_He has no more energy." Momonga mused. Dalmatian smirked._

"_I'm not surprised." he said. "He's just a Rookie, after all."_

…_._

_Kizaru shot a laser beam through his body, intentionally aiming not to kill._

_Luffy fell on the ground. He could no longer move._

_He looked up at the Admiral._

"_Without enough strength, you can't save anyone." Kizaru told him. "No matter how hard you try."_

_He smirked._

_"Now will you please go away already?!"_

_He kicked him across the battlefield._

"_I can't believe the great Whitebeard himself would let reckless trash like you lead his army."_

…_._

"_Iva-chan, I want to make this my final request." Luffy said desperately._

"_If I let you die here today, I won't be able to look Dragon in the eyes again." Iva told him._

"_If I can't save Ace, I'll WANT TO DIE!"_

_He stabbed him with his nails._

…_._

_But it wasn't enough. Everything he had and it wasn't enough. At the end, his brother collapsed on the ground, dead._

* * *

"Luffy!" Zoro yelled. The straw hat captain finally snapped out of his nightmarish memories.

He felt pain in his right hand. He looked at it. It was blackened by haki and clenched. Drops of blood fell on the figurehead. He had broken through his own armament with his nails.

"Luffy!" Zoro asked again. He unclenched his fist and took a deep breath. He stood up and turned around.

"What, Zoro?" he asked.

"You're bleeding." the unofficial first-mate told him. Luffy wiped his hand in his shorts.

"It doesn't matter." he replied. Zoro looked at him in concern, but then sighed.

"Do you want to go sparring?" he asked. Luffy blinked.

"Okay." he replied.

"Oh and the crap cook wants to go as well." Zoro continued. "Do you mind a 2 vs 1?"

Luffy shook his head.

"No, not really." he replied honestly. Zoro and Sanji were both already quite strong, but with his speed and haki, it didn't really matter.

However they didn't have much room to fight, as the crates and smaller boxes were everywhere. Except the deck above the storage room, the front of the ship.

Luffy went to the right of the figurehead, while the other two stood on the left.

"If you focus, you should be able to keep up." he told them. He waited a few moments for them to prepare. Sanji tapped his shoes on the ground and Zoro took out all three of his swords.

Then Luffy activated his Soru.

He dashed ahead with a punch aimed for Zoro. The swordsman barely dodged it. In fact, the fist brushed his right shoulder. Sanji raised his right leg and attempted a sideways kick, but Luffy ducked underneath it and then jumped backwards, landing on top of his leg.

Zoro ran towards them and slashed at Luffy. Sanji lowered his leg and Luffy would have fallen, but he kicked the air to stay in place. He blocked Zoro's swords by covering his head with his crossed arms while infusing them with armament haki.

He kicked with his right leg and hit Zoro in the stomach, sending him into the railing. At the same time, Sanji attempted a high kick, aimed for his ribs, but Luffy dropped from the air, causing the kick to miss.

Sanji slammed his foot down on Luffy, but he blocked it with one of his hands and pushed his leg away. Zoro came from the other side and dashed ahead in an attempt to do a 'Santoryu Onigiri', but Luffy used his Soru and kicked the ground underneath him and punched ahead, stopping all three swords when they were in the same position with his fist. Much like Mihawk did when they fought.

Sanji came from behind and kicked Luffy's legs, making him fall, but Luffy used one of his hands to touch the ground and then kicked in the direction of Sanji with both of his legs.

The cook jumped back to dodge the kick, but his chest was still brushed by Luffy's feet, causing him some pain. The captain jumped back into a standing position. The green-haired swordsman attempted to slash Luffy, but he jumped in the air with Soru and slammed a foot down on Zoro, which connected and slammed him into the deck.

Sanji jumped into the air with a kick aimed for Luffy's stomach, but the captain easily dodged it by moving his body and used his own kick to send Sanji into deck as well.

Zoro picked himself up and sent a flying blade attack at Luffy, but he unsheathed his sword and deflected it so that it flew somewhere in the sea.

He sheathed back his sword and used his Soru to dash towards Zoro with a punch ready. The swordsman somehow blocked the punch with two of his crossed swords, but he was unable to stand up to the overwhelming force of the punch and so was sent into the railing again.

This sparring continued for a while longer, until Sanji and Zoro were tired. Luffy was happy to find that while they were unable to really match him in any way, they were fully capable of reacting at the speed of his average Soru (he didn't really go all out with his Soru, but he didn't really restrain himself too much either). Their strikes were usually much too slow, but it was start and they managed to get a few hits in. In the strength department, Luffy also did not go all out and only used his observation haki for avoiding some of the attacks and armament for blocking Zoro's swords.

They agreed to continue this training every day. Luffy was also pleased to find that their observation haki developed to some extent. They were able to dodge a few moves that they wouldn't have been able to otherwise.

* * *

A few hours later …

* * *

A while after the reindeer doctor woke up, Luffy strode from the figurehead towards the rest of the pirates.

"I need to talk to you guys about something." he announced. Everyone stopped in their activities. He sighed and turned to Robin.

"Could you go and replace Usopp?" he asked her. "We'll be in the kitchen. You can listen in with your powers."

She nodded and started climbing the mast. Luffy sighed and motioned for everyone to follow him. He opened the door and entered the kitchen, where Sanji was.

"Hey, shitty captain!" he protested. "I don't have any snacks for you!"

Luffy shook his head.

"I have something to tell everyone." he replied. Sanji blinked a few times, but then nodded. Luffy waited for everyone to sit down.

"Luffy, what-" Nami started. Luffy raised his hand.

"Wait for Usopp." he told her.

After a while, Usopp entered through the door. An ear appeared on the wall. Luffy sighed.

"Okay, everyone's here." he began. He looked at every member of his crew.

"What I'm about to tell you, isn't good news." he continued. They looked at him in surprise. He sighed again.

"That night, when Usopp and I saw a ghost, I didn't just see the ghost, I spoke to him." he said. Everyone gasped.

"S-So y-you _did_ speak to him?" Usopp stuttered. Luffy nodded.

"So, what did that ghost say that got you so serious?" Zoro asked. The others nodded.

"First thing's first." Luffy answered. "You need to know what that ghost is."

He paused for a moment. Everyone looked at him.

"So, what is it?" Nami asked impatiently.

"It's Merry." Luffy replied. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

"W-What do you mean, Merry?" Chopper asked. Luffy sighed.

"Like I said, it's Merry." he repeated. Sanji's eyes widened in realization.

"You don't mean … the ship, do you?" he asked. Luffy looked at him for a moment and then nodded.

"H-Hey, don't be ridiculous!" Nami stuttered. "You couldn't have spoken with the Going Merry!"

Zoro gained a thoughtful expression.

"But how come you're the only one who heard it?" he asked. Luffy shrugged.

"No idea." he admitted. "But Usopp saw the ghost as well."

Usopp nodded.

"Yeah, but I couldn't hear anything." he said. "Luffy kept saying that he heard someone calling him though."

Luffy nodded.

"But, it doesn't matter if you believe me or not." Luffy continued. "Either way, what Merry told me is true."

Everyone looked at him. He sighed and took a deep breath.

"The thing is." he started. "Our ship is dying."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"M-Merry said that?" Usopp asked quietly. Luffy nodded.

"Is it true?" Chopper asked. Tears started gathering in his eyes.

"I'm no shipwright, but the keel is damaged." Luffy said after he nodded. "That means the ship can't be repaired anymore."

He sighed. Everyone was quiet for a few moments.

"So … we'll have to replace the ship?" Zoro asked solemnly. Luffy nodded.

Usopp stood up. Everyone looked at him.

"No." he said. Luffy looked at him.

"Usopp-" he began.

"No." Usopp interrupted him. "Merry is our ship. And not just that, she's more than that, she's our nakama!"

He glared at them.

"We can't just replace her!" he yelled. After that he stormed off.

Luffy sighed and followed after him. The rest of the straw-hats remained seated.

* * *

"Usopp, wait!" Luffy yelled after him. Usopp turned around.

"Why?" he asked. "So you can tell me that we'll replace the ship again?"

Luffy grabbed both of his shoulders with his hands and looked him dead in the eyes.

"Usopp, we're in the Grand Line." he told him. "We're pirates!"

"But, Luffy-" Usopp started.

"If our ship breaks down in the middle of the ocean, who will come to help us?" he asked him in a low tone.

Usopp looked struck.

"Even if we send a call for help, who will come for us?" Luffy asked. "We're pirates. People _want_ us to die."

Usopp looked on the ground.

"I know you love the Going Merry and I'm sorry, but it won't even make it to the New World." he answered. Usopp looked up at him. He had tears in his eyes.

"But Luffy, Merry's our ship!" he said. "And _Kaya_ gave it to us."

Luffy sighed.

"Look, the keel is cracked." Luffy said. "And the fact that the ship even has a ghost means it's already too late."

Usopp looked down again.

"Usopp, lets not fight about this." Luffy continued. "This is unavoidable. I'm not happy about it either."

Usopp nodded.

"I'm sorry, Luffy." he whispered. Luffy smiled.

"It's okay, Usopp."

* * *

_So, that's this chapters done. Did you like it? Why did I include the Marineford flashback? Well, it just sort of went into that direction, so I did that. I wanted to get it across that Luffy is still haunted by what happened there. And he fears having to return there._

_I hope you liked the spar. Luffy did not hold back as much as previously, but at this point of the story, the monster trio are capable of following the speed of Soru. Only Luffy can achieve it, but all three can react to it. Luffy's Soru is quite a bit better than the average Soru, so that's why they can't get any damage done. Although I'm sure that some people will tell me that Luffy seems too weak because of it. But remember, he still has Gear Second. That's way faster. Also, I'd have written a much longer spar, but I just wasn't in the mood and didn't want to force it._

_I hope you like the talk about Merry. Remember that the circumstances are much different than in canon. In canon, Usopp was beaten up to a pulp twice and had a serious inferiority complex because of it. Also, Luffy completely lost his nerve there and even told him that he should leave if he doesn't agree. Not to mention the fact that Luffy basically announced his decision, not giving him any say in the matter at all. Those facts seriously pissed Usopp off. Here, none of that happened. I thought Usopp still wouldn't like the decision, which is why I made him storm off._

_Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review. _


	50. Marine Admiral Kuzan, AOKIJI

_First of all. 50th chapter. Also, we broke 700 reviews (778), 500 favorites (524), 500 follows (502) and 170.000 views (172.465). This fic is now 16th in reviews, 10th in favorites and 5th in the number of followers (among OP fics of course). So, it seems it's going to the top. Hopefully. :D Muahahahaha. And fast too, two chapters ago it was on the second page regarding reviews and on 15th place in number of favorites (i think). Thanks, guys. Hope you like this chapter too._

**50. Marine Admiral Kuzan, "AOKIJI"**

They approached the next island. Luffy recognized it immediately. From the distance, everyone could see the extremely long trees, along with the very long grass. The island itself was also very long.

'The Long island.' Luffy thought. He grinned.

"What's this place?" Luffy asked cheerfully. "It's cool! There's grass everywhere!"

"Humpf. I don't know why you're so excited, Luffy!" Sanji said. "This place looks plain to me."

Nami nodded in agreement.

"I wonder if it's inhabited?" Robin asked.

Luffy grinned.

"One way to find out!" he yelled and jumped off the ship. "YAHOOOO!"

"HEY!" Nami yelled with razor-sharp teeth.

Chopper convinced Usopp, who was still thinking about Merry to come along and they both jumped off the ship as well.

Luffy ran ahead and noticed a weird-looking animal. It looked like a bear, except it was extremely tall.

"What's that?" Chopper asked. "A person?"

Luffy laughed.

"There's no person this tall." he told him and threw himself at the animal. "It's a bear!"

"There's no bear this tall either!" Usopp yelled, but followed his example along with Chopper.

"He's fluffy!" Luffy yelled as he nuzzled against the animal's fur. But the long-bear had enough of it and shook them off.

"Meanie!" Luffy yelled and stuck his tongue out.

"Hey Luffy, look!" Chopper yelled and pointed at something. Luffy followed where his finger had pointed and saw some sort of fruit.

He stretched and grabbed it.

He took a bite.

"Ooh, it's an apple!" he called cheerfully. He grabbed two of them and threw them at Usopp and Chopper, who caught them. "Try it!"

"Ohh, this is good!" Chopper yelled. Luffy laughed.

He noticed a few more _long_ animals going past them. A long-fox with a long-tail, a long-deer, a long-stork and a long-dog ...

"SERIOUSLY!?" Luffy yelled. "What the HELL?!"

He ran up to the dog and petted him.

"Shake!" he called. The dog gave him his paw.

He saw Usopp attempting to impress Chopper by trying to do the limbo underneath the long-dog.

Luffy snickered.

"Sit!" he ordered. The dog crushed the sharpshooter underneath him. Luffy laughed while Usopp struggled to get free.

Finally, he told the dog to beg so he stopped crushing the poor Usopp.

He noticed two long bamboo sticks that extended into the sky.

'There's something with that, but I can't remember it.' he thought.

Then one of them crashed into him.

"Why you!" he shouted and kicked it, breaking it.

He heard shouting from above.

'Uh oh.' he thought.

Then an old man crashed on top of him.

After both picked themselves up, the man introduced himself as Tonjit to the three crew-members. He thanked them for getting him off the stilts and told them his dramatic tale of … being trapped and eating apples on the top of the sticks for 10 years.

"By the way, old man!" Luffy asked. "Why is everything on this island so long?"

Tonjit turned around and faced him.

"I'd imagine an outsider like you would ask that!" he replied. "There is a reason."

He pointed in the distance.

"As you can see, this island has a vast expanse of grassland. All the animals live such relaxed lifestyles that they've grown longer!" he explained.

Luffy sweat-dropped.

'Seriously …'

But then, a gunshot was heard from behind them. Luffy turned around and saw someone he did not want to see.

It was Foxy and his two henchmen.

Luffy sighed.

'Just by looking at me,' he thought. 'He's already pissing me off.'

"That horse now belongs to me." the split-haired pirate announced. He turned around and noticed that the white long-horse, or hooooorse was trapped in a net.

"Yes, yes!" the annoying woman with black … things on her eyes, that resembled glasses but had no glass, said. "This horse belongs to Oyabin now!"

Luffy strongly resisted the urge to face-palm.

'What kind of stupid ass pirate randomly steals a horse?' he thought to himself. He shook his head.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" Luffy asked.

Foxy fell on the ground in depression.

"He doesn't know?" he muttered. Luffy groaned.

"Oh, you're Foxy!" Luffy exclaimed after a while. Foxy's head raised hopefully. "The guy known for cheating in all of his Davy Back fights?"

The captain of the Foxy pirates and both of his henchmen fell on the ground in depression. Luffy chuckled. He freed the horse from his net.

He made his way back to their ship along his two nakama. He found the 4 underneath the Going Merry, apparently arguing with the inhabitants of the much larger ship that towered over their own.

"Hey guys!" he yelled. "Who are those guys?"

"L-Luffy, y-you didn't accept the Davy Back fight, d-did you?"Nami stuttered. Luffy grinned.

"Nope." he said. She sighed in relief.

The two men of the crew looked at him in disappointment and slight annoyance.

"Why not?" Zoro grumbled. "They'll think we're afraid of them or something!"

Luffy shook his head. He pointed at the Sexy Foxy, the ship of the Foxy pirates.

"Those guys." he said. "Are known as cheaters."

Sanji looked at the pirate ship and then at Luffy.

"Seriously?" he asked. Luffy nodded.

"HEY, DON'T INSULT US!" someone yelled from the ship. "IF YOU'RE SCARED, JUST ADMIT IT!"

Luffy raised his head and glared at them. The man who spoke and several others flinched and backed away under his gaze. A man worth 160.000.000 Berry was intimidating after all.

"If you want to fight me." he murmured quietly, but everyone heard him nonetheless. "I'll take you all on."

Several of the man sweated.

"But … I'm not playing a Davy Back game against cheaters." he finished. He hoped that would shut them up. To be completely honest, everything about them just pissed him off. The captain himself was an ugly and arrogant bastard (not to mention annoying), their eye-wear was ugly and pointless. Their ship was okay, but it was full of traps. He also wasn't too much of a fan of Davy Back fights. After all, their very purpose was to take crew-members away from someone. Luffy did not consider that to be good.

His words seemed to have made the pirates stop demanding a match. They pulled away from their ship and landed somewhere else. A few of them jumped from the ship, presumably to locate their captain.

Luffy sighed.

"How come you know about that, Captain-san?" Robin asked him. He turned to her with a pout.

"Again with the-" he stared grumpily.

"Luffy." she corrected herself, interrupting his grumbling.

"Ace warned me." Luffy lied. The truth was that Foxy, no matter how huge of a crew he might have acquired, was still a nobody. Saying he just heard about him might not have worked. The answer seemingly satisfied her however.

The Straw hats headed to explore the island. When they returned to Tonjit's house, an interesting sight greeted them.

* * *

An immensely tall individual stood in front of the house, snoring away. While asking if he should get them some refreshments, Tonjit bumped into him.

Immediately upon seeing him, Robin tensed up. Luffy glanced up to her. Her eyes were wide. This was the first time that he witnessed her display outright fear, apart from maybe when Enel was about to electrocute her.

The man removed his sleeping mask and looked at everyone present. His gaze stopped at Robin in particular.

'It's him.' she thought in panic. 'It's him. Why is he here?'

She started backing away. Luffy, who was walking next to her and Sanji, leaned towards her ear.

"Keep calm." he whispered to her. She looked at him, fear still in her eyes.

'How does he intend to handle this situation?' she asked herself.

"No matter what happens, don't attack him." he told her quietly.

Kuzan watched their interaction with interest.

"So, who are you guys?" the admiral asked despite already knowing all about them.

"So, you must be a maaaaaan?" Chopper asked as he looked in awe at his height. The admiral looked below and noticed him, making him flinch.

"Oooh, a tanuki (racoon)!" he exclaimed. This got Chopper a bit mad.

"I'm a reindeer!" he yelled with razor-sharp teeth. "I've got antlers, see!?"

"Ooop, sorry!" the man apologized and shook his hand in front of him. "Anyway, it's great to see you again, Nico Robin!"

Everyone looked at Robin. Everyone now saw how scared she was.

'Robin's really scared of him.' Nami thought. Everyone else had similar ideas.

"Oooh!" the man exclaimed and looked at Nami, or more specifically, her chest.

"What?" Nami asked as she nearly jumped away, startled by the man.

"I see a knockout babe with super boobs." he told her. "You free tonight?"

Luffy and everyone else sweat-dropped.

"What are you doing, you lanky bastard?!" Sanji yelled with shark teeth.

"Humpf. His idea of flirting is even worse than yours, Ero-cook!" Zoro announced. Sanji turned to him with a face, reddened from anger.

"What did you say, shitty marimo?!" he yelled. "Like a neanderthal like you could know anything about that?!"

"But at least he's honest about it." Zoro finished with a smirk. A fight nearly broke out between them.

Nami politely declined his request. After seeing how afraid Robin seemed, she didn't want to exactly yell at the guy, no matter how tempted she was.

"Who is this guy?" Usopp asked loudly.

"T-This is-" Robin began with a shaking voice.

"Marine admiral, Kuzan." Luffy answered for her. "Also known as Aokiji."

Everyone either gripped their weapons or tensed up.

Zoro sweated.

'Against this guy, even _Luffy_ has a good chance of losing.' he thought as he nervously gripped his Wado Ichimonji.

"Ararara, don't be so aggressive." Aokiji replied and shook his hands in front of him defensively. "I'm just on a stroll anyway, I'm not under any orders."

He scratched his head.

"Anyway, you guys are … " he began, but then gained a thoughtful expression. "Forgot what I was about to say ..."

"YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY SENSE!" Sanji and Usopp yelled in irritation.

The admiral sighed.

"How can this guy be an admiral?" Usopp yelled at Luffy. "Are you sure it's him?"

"Yes." both Luffy and Robin said in unison, though Robin's voice faltered.

"I uphold the model of 'lazy justice'." the admiral told them. Everyone sweat-dropped.

'Well, it's better than 'thorough' or 'unclear justice' if you ask me.' Luffy thought. 'Not sure if it beats 'blind justice' though.'

"We can see that." Zoro told him. The admiral laid down on the ground, using his hand to support his head as he still faced them.

"What are you doing?" Nami asked him. He sighed.

"I'm tired from standing." he replied. "Anyways, I'm not here to arrest you, so just chill out."

He sighed again. Luffy briefly wondered if the admiral was annoyed just by having to speak.

"I'm only here to report my discovery of your group taking in Nico Robin." he continued. He yawned. "So that the bounty can be … what's the word … "

He stared at a random tree in the distance for like a minute.

"Recalculated. That's it." he announced after a while. He yawned again. "160 million plus 60 million plus 79 million."

He moved his fingers on his free hand.

"I don't know." he said after a while. "Some big number."

"Too lazy to count, eh?" Zoro asked with a sweat-drop. Luffy ran up to him.

"Hey, admiral-guy!" he greeted with a grin. "I heard you have the Ice logia!"

Aokiji blinked at the straw-hatted pirate.

"Could you show me?!" he pleaded. "Make me an ice sword! No, a saber! No, a CANNON!"

The admiral sweat-dropped. As did the other pirates.

"SHOW ME SOME TRICKS!" the pirate demanded.

"What am I to you, some circus freak?" the admiral asked, but his voice was normal. It was as if he was too lazy to be irritated. Luffy grinned.

"Oh, come on!" he yelled, practically in his face. "Show me _something_!"

The man groaned. He stood up.

"Fine." he grunted in annoyance. He looked at Tonjit. "You need to get to the next island, right?"

The small man nodded. He packed everything he needed and then everyone headed to the beach.

"So, how will you do that?" Zoro asked the admiral. Said man shook his head.

"I'm too lazy to explain, so just watch." he replied.

He approached the water and put his hand in it. He waited for a moment, calculating roughly how much power he'd have to release to do it.

A sea-king appeared next to him from the water. A few of the straw hats shouted for him to watch out. He didn't listen.

"**Ice age.**" he finally announced. In an instant, as far as they could see, the ocean turned into ice. Along with the sea-king.

Straw hat jaws were on the ground, along with the old man's.

"Shishishishi, awesome!" Luffy yelled. Everyone turned to him with their jaw still on the ground.

"This is the power of a Marine Admiral." Robin said slowly. Fear did not leave her expression after first seeing the man.

Aokiji pulled his hand out of the ice. He walked up to the old man and the pirates.

He looked at the old man.

"Just walk in that direction." he said and pointed somewhere in the distance. "The ice should last about a week, so take your time."

He walked past him.

"Dress warm." he continued. "It'll be a bit cold where you're going."

"Is … this a dream?" the old man asked. But then he quickly turned around.

"Thank you, Admiral-san!" he yelled happily. The marine just waved his hand.

The straw hats helped the old man down on the ice along with his small wagon, or whatever it was.

"Thank you, Marine-san!" the old man yelled and waved as he left. "Thank you, guys!"

The straw hats waved back.

"Take care!" Luffy yelled.

After a while, they disappeared into the distance. The straw hats returned to the island, shaking because of the cold.

Aokiji sat on the grass. He stretched his head.

Luffy inwardly groaned. 'So here it comes.' he thought.

The marine admiral scratched his head and looked at him as he approached.

"What?" Luffy asked. He shook his head.

"You are very much like your grandfather." he said after a while. "Childish and reckless. Loud."

Luffy huffed.

"I'm the captain!" he announced and puffed his chest. "I can be as childish and loud as I want to be!"

A few people sweat-dropped.

"But hard to fully understand." the admiral continued, ignoring the interruption. He sighed.

"Your grandpa helped me a long time ago." he said after a while. Luffy narrowed his eyes. Kuzan mentioned that bit quite a lot.

"Grandpa told me about you." Luffy told him, interrupting whatever he wanted to say next. The admiral looked up in surprise.

"Arara, what did he say?" he asked. Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Grandpa, tell me about the admirals!" Luffy suddenly asked while his grandpa and him were eating meat somewhere in the forest. _

_The old man raised an eyebrow as he munched on his food._

"_Why are you asking that?" he asked. He gulped his meat._

_Then he got a victorious grin on his face._

"_Ah, you're finally considering becoming a marine!" he announced with a booming voice and a smirk. _

_Luffy grimaced._

"_No way." he muttered. "Pirates are cooler."_

_Garp lost his smirk._

"_What?!" he yelled. "I'm a marine! Is grandpa not cool enough?!"_

_Luffy smirked._

"_Shanks is way cooler!" he chirped out and laughed. The old marine gritted his teeth._

"_Why you damn brat!" he muttered and bonked his grandson on the head._

_He huffed and turned around._

"_If you're not becoming a marine, I'm not telling you anything about the admirals!" he said. _

_Luffy pouted. But then he smirked devilishly._

"_If you tell me, maybe I'll think they're cool!" he replied cheerfully. The marine turned back to him, eying him suspiciously._

_'Clever brat.' he thought. He sighed and shook his head._

"_Fine!" he muttered. He gained a thoughtful expression._

"_Well, they are all a bunch of amateurs compared to me!" he declared and puffed out his chest proudly. _

"_But they're really tough. One of them could crush the three of you easy as pie!" he continued, referring to the three brothers._

"_Wow, they're strong then!" Luffy chirped out. Garp grinned._

"_Of course!" he shouted, scaring away every bird in the forest. "Marines are strong!"_

_Luffy narrowed his eyes._

"_Pirates are strong too!" he announced. His grandpa bonked him on the head again._

"_Shut up when I'm talking!" he yelled. He took a bite out of his meat. _

"_Anyway!" he continued. "There's Sakazuki, Kuzan and Borsalino, but they're also known under their codenames, which I don't really get."_

_He shook his hand and then took another bite._

"_Anyway, Sakazuki is a good marine, but he always has that stupid expression on his face, like someone just threw a bunch of dog crap into his face." Garp told him. Luffy laughed. "And he's always on about absolute justice this, absolute justice that! He's really annoying with that!"_

_Luffy felt that Garp had more to tell him, but wouldn't say because he might fear that it'd turn him off from admiring the marine. Nevertheless, he figured out that grandpa did not really like the magma admiral. And he was happy to hear that._

"_Then there's Borsalino!" he continued. "I don't really mind him, but he's kind of a weirdo. I never know what's going on in his head."_

_He took another bite._

"_Kuzan is kinda cool." he continued. "I like him. Except being horribly lazy, he's a terrific marine. Still just an amateur though."_

_He turned to Luffy._

"_So, what do you think, Luffy?" he asked. Luffy grinned._

"_Grandpa is cooler!" he announced. Garp got a slight blush._

"_Why thank-"_

"_But Shanks is still the coolest! Shishishishi!" Luffy interrupted and ran away laughing._

"_WHY YOU DAMN BRAT!"_

* * *

Luffy smiled at the memory. He looked at the admiral.

"He said you were an amateur." he told him. The man rolled his eyes, but his lip twitched from a barely suppressed smirk. "But that you're kinda cool anyway."

The straw hats, except Zoro, looked at Luffy in shock.

"Your grandpa thinks of a marine admiral as an amateur?!" Nami screeched out. Luffy smirked.

"Grandpa is stronger than that guy." he said and pointed at the man.

Aokiji shrugged.

"I'm not ashamed to admit that." he replied. "Garp-san is after all, a legendary marine. Even though I have a logia devil fruit, I'd still be reluctant to fight him."

'Garp-san, Garp-san,' Nami thought. Then, suddenly, a realization struck her.

"GARP THE FIST?!" she yelled out.

Luffy grinned.

"Shishishishi! That's my grandpa, Monkey D Garp!" he said cheerfully. Everyone stared in shock.

'His grandfather is Garp 'the Fist'.' Robin thought in shock. 'His brothers are 'Fire Fist' Ace and 'Blue Gentleman' Sabo. He personally knows 'Red-Haired' Shanks. When will it end?'

"Hey, Marimo, why aren't you shocked?!" Sanji suddenly asked. Zoro smirked.

"Oh, I knew from the beginning!" he announced.

"WHAT?" everyone yelled. Luffy laughed.

"I'm afraid to ask who your father is, Luffy!" Usopp said. Luffy's laugh became louder.

'His dad too?!' everyone thought.

"Anyway, kiddies!" Aokiji interrupted. Everyone looked at him. "I was kinda thinking here."

He sighed. Then he looked at them.

"Maybe you guys should all just die."

* * *

_Ah, that's this chapter done. I hope you liked Aokiji's introduction. If you're unsure about the types of justice, Aokiji has lazy justice, Kizaru has unclear justice, Akainu has thorough justice and (SPOILER) the new guy, Fujitora probably has blind justice, though that's unconfirmed. (/SPOILER)_

_And the Straw hats learned about Luffy's grandpa. Btw, I hope you liked the flashback. In the next chapter I will complete the encounter with Aokiji (sorry, I originally wanted to do the whole encounter, but there was just too much) and then, onwards to Enies Lobby._

_Btw, I don't like the first part, up to the meeting with Aokiji. It's lame as hell, but it kinda had to be done. As promised, I dealt with Foxy quickly._

_About Sabo's devil fruit, I got A LOT of ideas from you guys for a Zoan DF. It'll be really hard to resist giving him one. :D (Haven't decided on anything yet btw.) I mean, look at these: pterodactyl, lion, sphinx, hellhound, man eating bird, pegasus, monkey (idk why :) ), griffon, pandaman :D, peacock :D, pink unicorn (oh yes :D ), caladrius, kobalos, etc etc. Or I could give his staff one of those. Uhm, but I still have plenty of time to decide. Even if I rushed through everything (which I won't, at least not too much). _

_Thanks for reading. Please review. Don't bitch though. Bitches bitch, so don't be a bitch and bitch! Yeah, that makes sense. _


	51. Conflict resolution

**51. Conflict resolution**

Aokiji observed the reactions of the Straw hat pirate crew.

The Pirate hunter gripped his swords nervously.

Nico Robin took a step back. She did not try to activate her power, but he had no doubt that she was prepared to.

The long-nosed sniper readied his slingshot. He did not aim it at him, but he gripped it.

The orange-haired woman tensed up and looked at his every action.

The blond pirate, who reportedly fought with his legs, tapped the ground with his shoe.

The little talking animal suddenly grew larger in size and clenched his fists.

And the captain? Straw Hat Luffy did not move, but rather narrowed his eyes suspiciously. That was not a reaction he would expect. It was almost as if he knew something which the admiral didn't.

"The government doesn't consider you a real threat." he continued after a moment of tense silence. "Not really. Not yet."

He sighed. His gaze rested on them, the captain in particular.

"But I know better." he continued after a while. "Based on your previous encounters however, we know that you are a formidable crew. You are few in number, but from what we have seen from you so far, numbers don't seem to matter all that much."

He paused for a moment.

"You are a daring group of determined individuals." the admiral continued. "You've had quite a number of daring exploits in your short life of piracy and you are rapidly gaining strength as well as reputation."

He sighed again.

"Based on that alone, your little group scares the crap out of me." Aokiji concluded.

"Hey, wait a moment!" Usopp yelled and waved with his hands in front of his face. "Why are you saying all that? Didn't you just come for a visit?"

Luffy snorted. Everyone turned to him.

"You didn't seriously think we'd just randomly meet a marine admiral for no reason, did you?" he asked in a low tone. Everyone's eyes widened.

The admiral shook his head.

"However." Aokiji continued, ignoring the interruption. "That's not everything."

Everyone turned to him again.

"Based on reports from Navy soldiers and civilian observers." the man continued. "You, Monkey D Luffy, have won each of your fights with relative ease."

Luffy's eyes widened.

"Now, it is true that you have only so far been in East Blue and the first half of the Grand Line, but the fact that you've managed to get so far so successfully, is quite … shall we say, unnerving." Aokiji said. He sighed again. "Your exploits are considered to be quite daring even when compared with those of the other rookies, such as for example Basil Hawkins or Eustass Kid."

He looked the straw-hatted captain in the eyes.

"There's also the fact that _you_ seem to posses armament haki." he continued and pointed at him.

Luffy froze.

'He knows about it … ' he thought. The admiral narrowed his eyes at him.

"Captain Smoker reported that you managed to defeat him twice." he continued. "While the others may call Smoker incompetent or inexperienced, I personally cannot doubt his word."

Luffy started sweating.

"You may have fooled everyone else in the world with that interview, but not me." the man concluded. "Crocodile may be weak to water, but Smoker has no such weakness. And yet you defeated him twice. There's no way he was that careless."

He sighed again. Then he looked at Robin.

"Then there's you, Nico Robin." he continued. She sweated. "The size of your bounty does not just represent your strength, but also your threat level to the World Government. Which is why a bounty of 79.000.000 Berry was placed on your head at the age of eight."

Luffy scowled.

'Damn marine bastards.' he thought. 'If Grandpa wasn't so high up in the marines, me and Ace would also get such ridiculous bounties for just existing.'

"You betrayed, sidestepped, escaped, then found a new partner for you to use." Aokiji continued, startling Luffy from his thoughts. "Time and time again you've rebounded and this time, you've chosen this crew as your next haven."

He glanced up to Robin, who seemed quite startled and hurt by the accusation. How could the man who saved her when she was little, the man who knew the real reason why she couldn't find a permanent place in the world, say something like that?

It also seemed to enrage Sanji.

"Hey, bastard, what are you trying to say?!" he yelled. "What do you have against Robin-chwan?"

Usopp had to hold him back.

"I don't have anything against her." the admiral said. "The only reason I know her is because she escaped from me once. But that was a long time ago."

He stood up slowly.

"If you doubt me, know that every organization Nico Robin has joined until now has been brought to ruin." he continued. "She was always the only one to escape."

He smirked.

"Why is that?" he asked. "Nico Robin?"

"The past has nothing to do with us!" Luffy yelled. "So just stop it!"

"That's right!" Usopp agreed. "If we cared about the past, we wouldn't have an ex-pirate hunter or ex-thief on the crew!"

"OI!" Nami yelled and bonked him on the head. Robin seemed to appreciate the trust they had for her.

"The past doesn't matter!" Sanji yelled. Chopper nodded.

"That's right! Robin's our nakama, don't badmouth her!" he told him.

The admiral shook his head. He looked back at Robin.

"I see." he said. "Poor fools don't suspect a thing."

This of course enraged her. She crossed her arms.

"What do you want?!" she demanded. "If you want to arrest me, then just do it!"

Arms appeared all over Aokiji, restraining him.

"Robin, don't do it!" Usopp yelled out in panic.

"Robin!" Luffy yelled. She looked at him.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Keep calm … no matter what happens, don't attack him."_

* * *

After a moment, arms disappeared from the admiral.

"Arara, I really did think you were going to do it." he commented. He scratched his head.

"Regardless, you really should watch yourself around this-"

The admiral jumped back to avoid damage as Luffy slashed ahead with his sword. Afterward, Luffy immediately re-sheathed it.

A drop of blood fell on the ground.

The admiral's eyes widened. He brushed his right cheek with his right palm and looked at it.

The rookie had broken through his logia defense and made a small cut on his cheek. Of course, the way he slashed he made it seem like he was trying to cut his head off. But what if he had expected him to move?

His face darkened.

He dropped his hand and glared at Luffy.

"You really shouldn't have done that." he said. Several of the straw hats gulped.

Luffy smirked, but then he narrowed his eyes at him.

"You weren't stopping." he said coldly. "I already said the past doesn't matter."

He sighed.

"Whether or not you're an admiral or you think you know Robin." he continued. "I don't really give a crap about all that."

The admiral smirked.

"I see." he said. "You aren't about to let me tell you what to do, are you now, _Captain_?"

Luffy grinned.

"You seem to get the point." he replied. "Besides, I was the one who asked her to join and she hasn't done anything to deserve getting kicked out."

A murmur of agreement could be heard from the crew. The admiral's eyes widened in slight shock.

'_He_ invited _her_?' he thought. 'She didn't weasel her way into the crew?'

"That's right!" Sanji announced. "Our beautiful Robin-chwan stays with us!"

Robin smiled softly. Zoro snorted.

"You'd still let her stay even if she _did_ do something bad, ero-cook!" he yelled.

"THAT'S NOT TRUE, MARIMO!" Sanji yelled back at him with razor-sharp teeth. Luffy laughed.

He turned around and headed towards the ship.

"Let's just go." he commanded. He received several uncertain looks, but after a moment, everyone shrugged and followed his example.

Only, it wouldn't be that easy.

"Who said you could leave?" Aokiji asked. Out of the corner of his eye, Luffy could see that the right half of his face had turned into ice.

He sighed and shook his head in irritation.

"Go on ahead." he said. "I'll have a little _talk _with the admiral here."

He stopped and turned back to the marine. He waited for his crew to get far enough.

"You know." Luffy began after a while. "Attacking over a cut on the cheek sounds like something Sakazuki would do."

Aokiji scowled. Luffy chuckled.

"Don't like the guy, hmmm?" he asked, once again narrowing his eyes. He chuckled.

There was silence for a few moments.

"And." he began again. "Destroying seven ships sounds pretty ridiculous for an eight year old girl with a non-destructive devil fruit."

The admiral's eyes widened for a moment. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishishi! The real reason for her bounty couldn't _possibly_ have anything to do with her ability to read poneglyph's?" he asked mockingly. The man looked struck.

'He knows about the real reason.' he thought.

"Ararara, I didn't expect you to know that." the admiral commented in a cold tone. "Just how did you learn this information?"

Luffy shrugged.

"I guessed it." he lied. "Being able to read those words sounds like something pretty rare."

He briefly considered telling Aokiji that he knew about the ancient weapons as well, but that would pretty much seal that they'd have to fight.

"You aren't ready for this stage yet, you know, Straw Hat." the admiral said after a while. "Even with armament, you can't possibly think you could defeat an admiral, do you?"

Luffy shook his head. The admiral blinked in confusion.

"I only want to keep my crew safe." he said simply. The admiral sighed. The ice disappeared from his body.

Luffy blinked.

'Damn you, Straw Hat.' Aokiji thought. 'Attacking you after this would just make me feel bad.'

The admiral shook his head a few times, but then looked back at the pirate and smiled.

"I guess I owe you one for Arabasta." he said. "So I'll let you go this once."

He turned around and headed for his bike. Luffy watched him leave with a big grin.

After a few steps, the admiral stopped and turned around.

"You know." he said. "I really don't know why you want your armament haki to be a secret. I mean it's unusual for a rookie, but not really shocking. Some people just have a natural affinity for a type of haki, like the Kujas."

Luffy blinked in confusion.

"Kujas?" he repeated. The man scratched his head.

"Ah, you don't know anything about them?" he asked. Luffy shook his head.

"Well, they're the all-female pirate crew." Aokiji told him.

'Ah, Hancock and the others!' he thought. He smiled.

"Arara, it seems you like the idea!" the admiral replied and chuckled. "I can't blame you. Many of them are super babes!"

He scowled and looked on the ground.

"Not very friendly though." he muttered. He looked back at the pirate.

He scratched his head for a few seconds.

"I guess I can keep that secret for you." he said after a while. Luffy looked at him in total shock. "I mean, you could have killed poor old Smoker twice and you didn't, so ..."

"Thanks! Shishishishi!" Luffy chirped out and grinned. The man shook his head.

"Don't thank me, Mugiwara." he scolded. "This just makes us even. Besides, I never said I'd keep your secret forever."

Luffy grinned. The man climbed his bike and drove into the distance.

The Straw Hat pirate fell back on the grass, relieved.

'My plan is still okay.'

* * *

_Okay, that's this chapter done. I apologize for the lateness, but I had a lot of trouble writing this. I'm still not entirely happy with it. If it helps any, I may (the keyword here is may) write another one today. It's a fifty-fifty though. _

_So, Aokiji knows about Luffy's armament haki, though he still sees Luffy as a rookie. He believes haki is the reason for his success, but obviously doesn't think that it's anywhere near the level that it actually is._

_I know some of you are going to be disappointed with me not having them fight, but if they fought, Luffy would either have to lose on purpose or reveal his full strength. The second would be a disaster to his plan._

_Thanks for reading. Please review. Don't be too harsh on me though. :)_

_P.S.: Why did it take so long to update? There was some stuff I had to repeat from canon, so it got in bad mood._


	52. Yonkou shop

**52. Yonkou shop**

After a few minutes of laying in the grass, Luffy headed back to the ship. He felt relief washing through his body. Aokiji may not keep his secret forever, but that was no necessary. All that was needed was a few weeks.

He jumped up on the ship. Everyone was on the deck.

"LUUFFY!" Chopper yelled and ran towards him. Luffy smiled as the reindeer clung on his leg.

"Hey guys." Luffy greeted. Everyone smiled as well.

"So, what happened?" Sanji asked. Luffy looked at him and grinned.

"Aokiji said he owes us for Arabasta and said we could go." he told them. Everyone gasped.

"He … just let y-you go?" Nami stuttered. Luffy nodded.

"So you didn't fight at all?" Zoro asked. Luffy shook his head.

"Nah." he replied. "If we did, you'd hear us."

He glanced at Robin, who was looking at the ground.

"Hey Robin!" he said. She lifted her head and looked at him.

"Don't worry about what he said." he told her. She nodded, but didn't say anything. "You're our nakama, so you belong on this ship."

She smiled gratefully.

"That's right, Robin-chwan!" Sanji announced cheerfully. Zoro chose not to say anything against the cook and instead just nodded at her.

"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy called. The cook turned from swooning over the archeologist and turned to him. "Make us something to eat! I'm hungry from all this tension!"

"Hai, Hai!" he replied and ran into the kitchen.

"Let's set sail, guys!" Nami called.

* * *

After a good meal, Luffy took the ships Den Den Mushi and headed towards the deck. He settled on the front of the ship, next to the railing. A few of the crew-members were interested.

"Hmm, are you going to call someone?" Chopper asked. Luffy nodded.

"There are some things we need to get, but we can't exactly buy them just anywhere." he replied. Everyone looked in confusion.

"What do you mean?" Usopp asked. Luffy looked at him.

"We need to get a new ship, right?" he asked. Usopp looked on the ground, but nodded halfheartedly. "Well, we don't want something like this to happen again, do we?"

Usopp and Chopper both looked up to him. Zoro, who was leaning on the railing, opened an eye.

"So, what are you going to do?" he asked. Luffy grinned.

"Treasure wood, Adam." he replied. Everyone blinked in confusion. His grin widened. "The pirate king's ship was made from this wood."

Everyone gasped.

"I've heard about this." a melodic voice announced. Everyone looked in its direction. "There was an island once, where this tree stood. The island was ravaged by endless war. The never-ending conflict took many lives. Thousands of people died from the war, but a giant tree, Adam, stood through it all. Every time the war would end and the civilization lay in ruin, the people would rebuild their homes near the giant tree."

Robin walked up the stairs, bringing her chair with her. She put the chair on the ground and sat on it.

"So, what's so special about this wood?" she asked after a while. Everyone looked back at Luffy, who grinned.

"This wood can make a ship so strong, that cannonballs will just bounce off it." he replied. He remembered the Thousand Sunny, a ship so strong, that even when hit with more than twenty cannonballs, it still held strong. It was barely even damaged.

He smiled as he saw the disbelieving faces.

"Seriously?" Zoro asked. Luffy nodded.

"But it's expensive." he said after a while. "Fortunately, we have more than enough money for it."

"How expensive?" another voice asked. It was Nami. Nobody had seen her come. She might have just teleported there when she detected the word expensive.

Luffy sweat-dropped.

"H-Hey, Nami." Usopp greeted. "Didn't see you come here!"

"How expensive?" Nami asked again, her eyes focused on Luffy. Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"Well, for a ship twice the size of Merry, it'd be 200.000.000 Berry." he announced after a while. That was how much the original Sunny had cost. Everyone blinked.

"Are you sure that's _expensive_, Luffy?" Zoro asked. "I mean, considering how much we have-"

"Most people just don't have that much money when they're buying a ship." Nami said proudly. Everyone smiled.

"Plus, it's illegal." Luffy added. Everyone looked at him wide-eyed. "And rare."

"So, how are we going to get it?" Robin asked. Luffy grinned and pointed at the Den Den Mushi.

"We'll ask Shanks!" Luffy chirped out. "But first, we should decide how big it should be, so we'll know how much money we need."

Everyone started thinking.

"Well, we should make it big enough so that we can have anything we want on it." Chopper told them.

Luffy immediately imagined the Thousand Sunny that was as big as the Moby Dick, with him standing on the now gigantic figurehead.

"Right!" Luffy announced cheerfully. "We need a giant pool and a giant indoor forest and a giant meat park and a huge bronze statue ..."

Everyone sweat-dropped.

"... and a giant-"

Before he could say his next suggestion, Robin used her devil fruit to cover his mouth with a hand. He glared at her.

"We also need to make sure that the ship is not too big, so we'll still be able to properly defend it." she replied. Her hand disappeared.

Luffy pouted.

"Well, I do want my statue at least." he replied. Everyone groaned. "Hey, I'm serious!"

There was silence for a while.

"What do you say if we order enough Adam wood for 400.000.000 Berry?" he asked. "If it's too much, we can just resell it."

He looked at Nami in particular.

"Well, I think it's fine." she told him. "I mean, we have a lot of money, we might as well make sure our ship has everything we need or want."

Usopp, Chopper and Zoro looked at her in shock.

"What?" she asked, irritated. They just shook their heads.

"So, now I'll call Shanks!" Luffy announced. He dialed the number on the Den Den Mushi.

* * *

"Moosh Moosh!" Luffy called. "Hello?"

There was the sound of someone gulping down a piece of meat.

"Hey, Luffy!" a voice replied. Luffy recognized it immediately.

"Hey, Lucky!" he greeted. Lucky Roo ate another piece of meat.

"How you doing, Luffy?" he asked, while munching on his food.

'Well, it seems there are people as rude as Luffy in this world.' Nami thought. She did not approve of people talking while eating.

"We just met an admiral!" Luffy chirped out. The man on the other side gasped.

"Really?" he asked. "Which one?"

"Shishishi, Aokiji!" Luffy replied.

"Did you have to fight him?" another voice asked.

"Ah, Ben!" Luffy greeted cheerfully. "Uhm, no, he let me go."

"Really?!" Ben Beckmann asked in surprise. "That's a new one."

Luffy laughed.

"He said he owes me for beating up Crocodile." he said after a while.

"I guess that makes sense. " the man replied. "But none of the other two would have done that, you know?"

He sighed.

"Could you have defeated him if you fought?" he asked after a while. Luffy grinned.

"Yeah, I think I could." he replied. Every straw hat looked at Luffy, surprised by his confidence.

"I see." Ben replied. "You want to speak to the captain, right?"

The snail puffed out some air. It seems Ben was smoking.

"Yep." Luffy replied cheerfully. "Need to ask him something."

"Okay. I'll carry the snail to him."

They could hear the sounds of walking. After a while, the sounds stopped. It seemed the first mate had reached his destination.

He knocked on a door and entered.

"Hey, Ben!" someone said groggily. "What's up?"

"Another hangover, captain?" Ben Beckmann asked in amusement. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! Same as always, eh Shanks?!" he yelled cheerfully.

"OW! MY HEAD!" the captain of the yelled. The straw hats could just imagine him covering his ears with his hands. "Eh, Anchor?!"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!" Luffy shouted. The first-mate chuckled.

"AAAAH!" Shanks yelled. Luffy started laughing again.

Several of the straw hats also snickered.

"Ouch, give me something for the hangover, Ben!" Shanks whined. The eyes of a few of the Straw Hat pirates widened considerably.

* * *

_Flashback:_

_"Now!" Luffy yelled, completely ignoring a fuming Crocodile. "Red-Haired Shanks impression!"_

_Luffy pretended to fall on the ground._

_"Oh, man, I have such a hangover! Ouch! Ben, give me something for the hangover!" he said in a pretend pained voice and he massaged his temple._

* * *

Nami and Usopp burst out in laughter, while Robin's laugh was a bit more controlled. The rest of the straw hats blinked in confusion at the trio.

"Hey!" the Yonkou whined. "Why are you laughing at me?!"

He humphed.

"What did I saaaay?!" he asked in an even more whining tone. Luffy blinked at the Den Den Mushi a few times, also confused.

"I'm pretty lost too." Luffy admitted. True, the Yonkou's complaining might be funny, but it wasn't _that_ funny.

"Captain-san's impression of you was spot on, Red-Haired!" Robin announced. Luffy glared at her.

"Who's this Captain-san you keep talking about?!" he asked her in an annoyed tone. She chuckled.

"Fufufufu! Lu-"

"WAIT, YOU DID AN IMPRESSION OF ME?!" Shanks yelled angrily. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! Yeah, almost forgot about that!" he replied. "It was when Crocodile captured us!"

"Luffy!" Shanks yelled, before realizing something. "Wait, Crocodile captured you?!"

Luffy grinned.

"Yep, back when we were in Arabasta." he replied. "He kept laughing and gloating over how defeated we were!"

The crew could see the snail phone sweat-drop.

"I guess Crocodile is pretty dumb then." the Yonkou announced. Luffy laughed.

'That sounds totally like something Luffy would say.' Zoro thought.

"Shishishi! Yep." he replied. "Anyway, we need some stuff for our new ship, so I called you!"

The Den Den Mushi sweat-dropped again.

" …. You do know I'm not a shop, right?" the Red-Haired pirate asked. Luffy pouted.

"I know that!" he yelled, but then sighed. "I just don't have any idea where the black-market is!"

There was silence for a few moments.

"You're going to Water 7, right?" Shanks asked. Everyone looked to Nami in confusion, since they did not know what the next island was called.

"Yes." Luffy announced, surprising everyone.

"Hmm, well the black market is in St. Poplar, which is near where you're going." Shanks replied. "I don't usually do this, but I could pull some strings and have them deliver the stuff to you in Water 7."

He paused for a while.

"But you'll have to tell me what you need." he said after a while. Luffy grinned.

"Thanks, Shanks!" he said cheerfully. "Well, we'll need enough Adam Wood for 400.000.000 Berry-"

"Wait, your ship … is your keel cracked?" the first mate, who was apparently still there, interrupted. Luffy's grin turned into a sad frown.

"Afraid so." he replied and sighed. Usopp looked on the ground sadly.

"Okay, what else?" the Yonkou asked. Luffy regained his grin.

"Well, we should probably get a seastone coating for the ship." Luffy replied. "Can we do that?"

"I think they should have that." Shanks replied. "And it's a great idea, Luffy."

"Wait, why seastone?!" Nami interrupted.

"Well-" Luffy began.

"If you have seastone underneath your ship, Sea-kings will ignore it." the Yonkou interrupted. "So you can pass Calm Belt safely!"

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

"Seastone has the same energy as the sea after all." Ben butted in.

"We'll be able to pass the Calm Belt?" Usopp asked. Luffy nodded.

"Wait, why didn't I ever hear of that?!" Nami yelled.

"It's a government secret." Ben told her.

"Also, kairoseki is sold at really, really high prices!" Shanks announced. "You should be prepared to pay at least 100.000.000 Berry for the coating!"

"WHAT?!" Nami yelled. Shanks chuckled.

"There's only a few people who can get seastone on the market and they jack up the prices." he replied. "In truth, seastone is usually hardly even worth a tenth of the price offered."

"We have the money." Luffy told him. The Den Den Mushi nodded.

Nami sighed.

"It'd better be worth it." she growled. Luffy snickered. She glared at him.

"Well, anything else?" Shanks asked.

Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"Well, some seastone weapons would be nice." he replied. "A few swords, a lot of bullets? Stuff like that."

"Got it." the Yonkou told him.

"And if you hear of anything useful or something you think we'll need." Luffy added. The Den Den Mushi nodded.

"Oh, by the way, how was Sky island?" he asked. Luffy grinned.

"Well, there was this mean jerk with a lightning logia, who went around killing people!" Luffy replied. "So I kicked his ass of course!"

"Lightning logia?" the Yonkou asked. "Gahaha! Sounds pretty neat!"

Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! Yeah, unless your opponent is rubber." he replied.

An explosion could be heard in the background.

"BOSS!" someone yelled. The Red-Haired pirate sighed.

"Sorry, Luffy, but it seems some stupid rookie just decided to commit suicide!" he announced. "I'll order the stuff for you. We can talk more later if you want!"

"See you soon, Shanks!" Luffy replied. He hung up and gained a thoughtful expression. He tried to think if he forgot anything important.

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro called after a few moments. Luffy turned to him with a confused expression. "There is a giant frog doing the front crawl!"

He pointed ahead of the ship, where indeed, a very special frog was swimming.

"Ooh, a frog is doing the front crawl!" Luffy repeated like it was nothing special.

"What?" Nami asked. She looked at where Zoro had pointed. "Ah, a giant frog is doing the front crawl."

Robin blinked a few times and looked in that direction.

"Indeed, there's a giant frog that's doing the front crawl." she repeated with slightly widened eyes.

"A frog is doing the front crawl." Chopper repeated. Usopp's eyes bulged out.

"Why is there a frog in the front doing the front crawl?!" Usopp yelled/asked.

"HEY GUYS!" Sanji yelled from the crows' nest. "WHY IS THERE A GIANT SHITTY FROG DOING THE FRONT CRAWL?!"

"Shishishi, I love the Grand Line!"

* * *

_Okay, that's another chapter done. Luffy relayed what he needed to Shanks, who'll call his underground connections to get him the stuff. So no need to bother with letting Franky steal just the right amount of money. I mean, he doesn't even know if Franky would use it the way he intended him to. _

_Also, there have been many suggestions on how to do the Water 7 arc. While I appreciate them, I've already got the main plan, so no worries about that. I would like ideas for the next arc though, which is Thriller Bark. _

_I hope the thing at the end about the frog was okay. I didn't really know what to do. _

_By the way, I would have updated yesterday evening (for me), but just when I entered these words into this ... document thing and started checking them over for mistakes, internet stopped working. Then, after 15 minutes it worked again for like five minutes. Then it stopped working again, just when I tried to do the same thing again. The entire process repeated itself once more. I swear, it may not seem like that now that I'm writing it, but it felt like someone was intentionally screwing with me. Oh, also, the screen of my phone cracked when I threw it on the chair (the chair has a cushion mind you) like I've thrown it a million times before. It doesn't work anymore. (The only thing you can see is the cracks ... and darkness. Endless darkness. Blackbeard?) And the day before, in the evening, there was a power outage. Also yesterday morning. It pisses me off when random retarded crap like that happens. Especially when it happens one after the other. _

_Anyway, sorry for my rambling. Hope you liked this chapter. Please review._

_P.S: I hate the document limit. _


	53. The City of Water 7

_This story has surpassed 200.000 views recently. Thanks for all the reading, guys. Also, we'll soon reach the 1000 reviews marker. Hopefully with this chapter. :) It's currently 10th in reviews (988), 7th in favorites (605)and third in follows (581). Among One Piece stories of course. I feel so important! xD_

**53. The City of Water 7**

The Going Merry approached the train station that stood along the tracks that the only water train in existence used. Not that anyone except Luffy knew anything about that. The giant frog, Yokozuna, swam straight into the tracks.

In the next moment, a slowly approaching noise could be heard. As the noise got nearer and nearer, the scarred frog positioned itself on the barely visible tracks.

The train approached.

"Hey, frog!" Usopp yelled. "You'll be killed! Get away!"

But the frog wouldn't listen. It stayed in place and instead solidified its position on the tracks, choosing a position that looked kinda like Luffy's Gear Second stance, except given the frog's body, it made him seem more like a sumo wrestler.

Yokozuna put his palm slightly in front of his body.

Luffy looked at him nervously. He knew the frog wouldn't really be harmed, but it still unnerved him.

The train crashed into the frog. For a second it seemed like Yokozuna had actually stopped the train or changed its course, but then the train continued, blowing the poor frog away.

After a while, the frog continued swimming.

"Oh, the frog is doing the front crawl again." Luffy announced. Chopper nodded.

"You're right." he agreed. "The frog is doing the front crawl again."

"Yes, yes." Usopp commented. "The frog is doing the front crawl again, like before."

Robin looked at them with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, I think we've already established that the frog is doing the front crawl." she replied. Everyone nodded.

"Grandma, grandma, pirates!" a childish sounding voice announced. Everyone looked to the left, where the train station was. A small blonde girl with two upward pointing pigtails on each side of her head was standing on the small platform, outside the station. Alongside her was a blue-ish rabbit.

The Straw Hat pirates could hear grumbling.

"What? Really, Chimney?" an older sounding voice announced. "Okay! *hic* Yosh! Where's the Den Den Mushi?!"

An old woman who also had blonde hair walked out of the station and crashed on the ground, nearly falling in the water. She had a big bottle of wine in her left hand, so it was obvious why.

Luffy and the others sweat-dropped.

"I'll get it!" the little girl yelled and ran into the station. She came out with a Den Den Mushi.

"This is bad!" Zoro shouted. "They think we're going to attack!"

The old drunk lady picked up the receiver. Then she gained a puzzled expression. She scratched her ear.

"What was I going to say again?" she asked herself. "I forgot."

She put the receiver back on the snail. The straw hats sweat-dropped.

"You're drunk?!" Usopp yelled with razor-sharp teeth. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! The old lady kinda reminds me of Shanks!" he commented. Everyone looked at him.

"Well, I can see why you'd think that." Nami replied with a deadpanned expression.

Luffy, Nami and Usopp jumped down from the ship.

"Hey!" Nami greeted. "Sorry we scared you!"

"Aaaah, pirates are invading!" Chimney yelled with an over the top shocked expression.

"No, no, we're not here to harm you!" Nami tried to explain while shaking her hands in front of her face.

"Here, have some paille!" Luffy announced and offered them the bowl.

"Ah, paille!" the old lady replied and took one. "This ought to go well with my drink! *hic* Nagagagaga!"

The little girl took two and gave on to her pet rabbit.

"I'm Chimney!" she told them while she munched. She pointed at her rabbit. "And this is my pet cat, Gonbe?"

'Cat?!' everyone thought in confusion. The animal was clearly a rabbit.

"And this is my grandma, Kokoro!" she said and pointed at the drunk woman.

"You're not here to rob the sea-train I'd wager. Nagagagaga!" the old woman said and took a sip from her bottle.

"And just like that, the ice is broken." Zoro said. He was watching from the ship alongside the cook and the archeologist.

"The guy is really good at making friends." Sanji replied and smiled. Robin smiled as well.

"Indeed." she said.

"I'm Luffy." the captain said. "I'm the man who's going to be the pirate king!"

"Really?" Chimney asked. Luffy nodded.

"Yeah." he replied. The old woman laughed.

"Nagagaga! You're a pretty interesting guy!" she told him.

Afterward, Nami asked about the sea-train, not knowing what it was. Luffy didn't bother to butt in. He was sure the old woman and the girl were better at explaining stuff anyway.

After telling them about the sea-train itself, Kokoro explained about the destinations the train could take you and how much this has helped the city of Water 7, which was the straw hats next destination. The woman also explained that the city was the home of the very best of the shipwrights in the world. Luffy smiled.

'The best.' he thought to himself. 'Franky. You're the next one.'

"Here!" the woman exclaimed and put a small paper into Nami's hands. "This is a simple map of the island and a message of introduction. Give it to a guy named Iceburg and ask him to repair your ship."

Nami gladly accepted the paper. They parted like friends with Kokoro offering them a drink should they meet again.

* * *

As they neared the town, Luffy couldn't help but feel uneasy. He didn't know what would happen this time, but the crew was very nearly dealt two heavy blows in this city the first time around. Luffy was reasonably certain that Usopp would not leave the crew again, since he's had plenty of time to come to terms with the reality. Robin was another matter. Luffy couldn't exactly follow her around everywhere, since that would make it seem like he didn't trust her.

He decided that should the CP9 make the same move again and Robin would go along with their plan, he and the crew would destroy them right here in the city. Also, if he would at any point cease to sense her presence with observation haki for more than a few moments, he decided he would immediately move towards Enies Lobby.

As they tried to enter the city, a fisherman warned them not to enter the city via the main entrance and said they should entered from the other side.

They, of course, complied, though they were surprised by the helpfulness aimed towards pirates such as themselves. Of course, had they thought about it, they'd realize that Water depends on business with pirates here to have their ships fixed.

They entered the city through a side corridor of water, passing many building and admiring the city while doing so.

"Hey, pirates!" someone yelled. "Pirates ships aren't allowed here! Are you here to plunder and pillage?!"

Usopp sweat-dropped.

"No, we need to get a new ship!" Luffy answered. Usopp felt weirded out.

"Who asks if someone's there to pillage them?!" he asked quietly and shook his head.

The man who asked now smiled.

"In that case try the cape straight ahead!" the man yelled. "You can anchor there!"

Luffy thanked the man. They passed more houses.

"Hey, isn't that Straw Hat Luffy?!" someone yelled from the outside of a restaurant. A few people walked out of the building, forming a small crowd.

"HEY, MUGIWARA!" someone yelled. Luffy turned to his right where the people were.

"Shishishi! HEY!" he yelled and waved, grinning. Their eyes bulged out.

"T-That's the man who defeated Crocodile and then refused to join the Shichibukai!" one of them stuttered. They were left amazed, both by the fact that he was really Mugiwara and that he was so friendly and cheerful.

After a few moments, the crew anchored on the cape. Luffy stood up from the figurehead, where he was sitting during the travel and addressed them.

"HEY GUYS!" he called. "COME HERE!"

Everyone came over to the front of the ship.

"I want everyone to go and change as much gold as you can into Berry!" he told them. "Don't get separated while you're doing this, okay?"

"What are you going to do, Luffy?" Sanji asked. Luffy looked at him.

"For now I'll guard the ship." he told them. He sighed. "Anyway, exchange as much gold as you can and immediately return here."

Everyone nodded.

"You'll be able to shop later, so don't linger in the city with the money!" he warned. "And stick together!"

Usopp, Nami and Sanji gasped.

"Luffy, you're being ..." Usopp started. Luffy's blinked a few times in confusion.

"Yes, Usopp?" he asked.

"You're being … " Sanji repeated. Luffy leaned towards them.

"Y-You're being responsible." Nami stuttered out. Luffy blinked about twenty times before he had an answer to that.

"So … " he began. "Where does the surprise part come in?"

They stared at him for a few moments.

"Fufufufu! Indeed." Robin chuckled. Nami looked at her in shock.

"Anyway, let's go get our money before our captain is totally weirded out by the witch, the crap cook and the liar." Zoro replied with a smirk. Of course, he soon received punishment for that.

Chopper's eyes shined in anticipation.

"We're going to be so rich!" he squealed out in joy. Nami's eyes turned into Berry.

"Let's go!" she nearly shouted in excitement. Everyone sweat-dropped at her change in behavior.

Luffy grinned as they left, Chopper, Sanji and Zoro each dragging a huge crate on a cart behind them with the other three each carrying a smaller box of the precious metal. After a minute, he dropped on the ground against the railing.

'This should prevent any trouble with our money being taken.' Luffy thought. 'I'm pretty sure they'll be able to beat up just about anyone who tries to take anything.'

He closed his eyes and let out a sigh.

'Everything should be fine.' he said to himself.

He sat there for a few moments and then he suddenly felt several presences on the ship skulking around. They weren't the best at keeping quiet either as he could hear them moving towards him.

'Who are they?' he asked himself.

In the next moment, he could sense a blade moving towards him, without a shred of doubt aimed to kill.

Just before it reached his neck, he quickly raised his hand and put it in the way of the blade. He activated his armament.

Upon hitting his hand, Luffy heard the sound of metal breaking. He chuckled.

"What a weak sword." he murmured. He opened one of his eyes and noticed the men in front of him.

'Franky's goons ….' he thought as he looked at their horrified snot-nosed expressions. His eye glanced down on the outfit of the man who tried to kill him. He opened his other eye and blinked a few times. 'I love Franky and all, but his guys have no fashion sense.'

He stood up slowly.

"So, who might you guys be?" he asked them, already knowing the answer.

The men blinked at him a few times and recomposed themselves. The man who tried to kill him laughed shakily.

"H-Hahaha, I-I guess it won't be so easy to kill you, Mugiwara." he replied in a stuttering voice. Then he straightened himself up and pointed at himself.

"We are known as the bounty hunters whose name scares crying children into silence – the Franky Brothers!" he proclaimed proudly. Luffy closed his right eye and looked at the guys sceptically. "And we'll be taking your 160.000.000 Berry head, Straw Hat Luffy!"

Luffy tilted his head, looking at them like the idiots they were.

"Right." he said after a moment of silence. He picked his nose with his pinky.

They still didn't make any move, so he looked at them in confusion.

"I'm still alive." he reminded them. He took a step forward. He could see them struggling in their resolve.

He grinned. They gritted their teeth in panic.

'Wow, that must have really scared them.' he thought to himself. His right arm blackened. They looked at it in panic. He blinked and looked at it.

"Ah, that?" he asked and pointed at it with his other hand. They flinched upon hearing him speak.

His grin widened.

"I'm going to hit you with it if you don't leave my ship right now. Shishishi!" he told them cheerfully. Their eyes widened in horror. Not that he could see, considering that they were hidden behind their goggles.

He took another step towards them.

Needless to say, they weren't on the ship for very much longer.

* * *

After a few hours, the crew returned to the ship. To Luffy's relief, everyone was present, including Robin and Usopp.

Luffy grinned.

"So, guys, how did it go?" he yelled and waved at them. Zoro scowled.

"Weird idiots tried to steal from us a few hundred times." he replied. Luffy blinked.

"Ah, the ship was also attacked." he told them. They stopped in their tracks.

"Really?" Usopp asked. "By who?"

Luffy scratched his head.

"Some stupid guys trying to look like cannonballs." he replied. "With purple stars."

Their eyes widened.

"Those were the same guys that tried to steal from us and attacked us!" Nami told him. Luffy's eyes darkened.

'How should I deal with this?' he thought. 'I don't exactly want to get on Franky's bad side, but I can't keep worrying about Usopp and Nami constantly while in this city. The others should be fine, but those two … there's also the problem with the ship … '

He sighed.

"Bring the money on board." he said. They continued walking. Each one of them, except Zoro and Robin, carried two suitcases. Robin carried two more with two additional hands and Zoro was dragging a small cart of suitcases, covered with a large brown cloth.

Luffy grinned.

'It seems money won't be a problem anytime soon.' he thought to himself. 'And there's still much more gold to exchange. We haven't even cleared half of what is on the deck.'

He kept smiling as the crew-members brought the suitcases on the ship. But things kept troubling him.

He wondered how he should approach the CP9 and Franky Family issue. Until he gets on Franky's good terms, he can't leave the ship unguarded at any moment. Or his weaker crew-members for that matter. And until the CP9 is dealt with, he can't really relax with the situation regarding Robin.

'Ah, what to do?'

* * *

_Okay, chapter 53 done. _

_There shouldn't be anything that needs explaining in this chapter. I should say that I do have a plan regarding this arc, unlike Luffy, so don't interpret Luffy's worries as my own. :)_

_By the way, I mentioned in the last chapter that Shanks would order for Luffy some extra items that he thinks are interesting or useful. This is your time to shine. If you get an idea, feel free to share it. Same goes for any ideas regarding extra rooms/items on the Sunny. I'm not saying I'll necessarily include your ideas, but I might. _

_Hope you liked this chapter. Please review if you like. _

_P.S.: By the way, I didn't really think the frog joke from last chapter would be so well liked. I was kinda expecting a disaster there. :D The problem is that I can rarely really laugh at my own joke, so I can only presume that it's funny. Is this some sort of writer's curse or something? :D_

_P.S.S: I'm thinking about writing a crack pairing fic. No, no, don't worry, just a one-shot the length of an average chapter. The idea is really ridiculous and should be really funny unless I screw it up. I might write it one of the next few days. (Both char's are from One Piece of course, but I won't say which ones, since it might spoil it.)_


	54. Dock One

**54. Dock One**

"ALLOWANCE, ALLOWANCE!" Chopper and Usopp screamed at the top of their lungs as soon as the suitcases were safely put in the women's quarters, which was probably the most secure room in the ship. Not only was it the only room with an actual key, you also had to go through another room to actually reach it.

"Hai, hai, hai!" Nami answered in an irritated tone and grabbed one of the many suitcases, each containing 100.000.000 Berry. She made her way back to the deck, where the rest of the crew was now gathered.

She sat on the top of the stairs and opened the suitcase and started handing out money to the crew.

'Thank god that we found gold on Skypiea.' she thought as she looked on the Berry notes. 'If we hadn't, we wouldn't be just piss poor … we'd be broke in the next week.'

She smiled as she handed some money to Robin.

"Arara, I didn't think I'd see you so happy when handing out money, Nami-san." the archeologist commented with a small chuckle. Everyone looked at them in surprise.

The navigator looked at them and grinned.

"It's just that … we are SO rich!" she squealed out. Everyone smiled. "What money I gave you seems like nothing compared to what we have."

Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! Well, I promised a billion, but it seems I lied." Luffy told her.

"Well, at least the witch is finally happy now." Zoro replied in a fake irritated sounding voice, but even he couldn't fight a small smile that formed on his lips. Luffy laughed.

"Hey, don't call Nami-san a witch, shitty Marimo!" Sanji growled out. The smile turned into a scowl.

"You wanna go, crap cook?!" the swordsman growled and glared at the cook. The blond snorted.

"Like you could ever beat me, you national treasure!" he replied and turned away.

"What was that?!" Zoro seethed. Sanji gained a tick above his visible eye.

"You heard me, you deaf moss-head!" he yelled back.

"Humpf. You don't even have a bounty, so how could you beat me?" the swordsman replied with a smirk. The cook scowled.

"When I get a bounty, yours will be insignificant in comparison, you lost marimo!" he answered with a twitching forehead.

"Yeah, dream on!" Zoro told him and grinned mockingly.

"Why you-"

"ENOUGH!" Nami yelled.

"Yes, Nami-swan!" "Humpf. Witch."

The two finally calmed down.

"Here's yours, Sanji-kun!" the navigator said and gave the cook his share. Then she looked at Zoro and Luffy. "What about you guys?"

Zoro looked at her.

"I'm not going." he told her. "I'll take a nap on the ship."

Her eye twitched.

"You mean guard the ship, right?" she asked in a dangerously low tone. He snorted.

"A true warrior is always on guard." he replied with a smirk.

She shook her head.

"Right. Okay, what about you, Luffy?" she asked him. He grinned.

"I don't need any." he told her. She looked at him oddly. "I robbed a few people at Mock Town, so I have plenty."

Nami's and everyone else' eyes widened.

"Y-You rob people?!" she asked him in surprise. He laughed and nodded.

"Well, I sort of was a mountain bandit, you know." he told her. She blinked a few times.

"Did you also mug and beat up people?" Sanji asked as he lit his cigarette. Luffy shook his head.

"No, … well, Dadan did say she was going to force us to do stuff like that, but she never did." he replied. "Underneath, she was a big softie."

He paused for a moment, but then he smirked.

"Sort of like Zoro." he said. Everyone laughed, while the swordsman glared at Luffy.

"Could you give my share to Chopper?"

She blinked a few times.

"I need to get some stuff for Luffy." the tiny doctor told her. Nami sighed.

"Fine, okay." she said and handed him some more money.

"Are you going to the bookstore by any chance, Doctor-san?" Robin asked after a few moments. The little doctor nodded.

"I'm going to look for medical supplies, but I'll also look for any new medical books." he told her. The archeologist smiled.

"Then, would you mind if I accompanied you?" she asked him. He smiled.

"Sure, Robin!" he told her.

Luffy eyed her with one eye slightly closed. He wondered if the CP9 had already contacted her, but he presumed that they haven't yet, otherwise she'd be way less relaxed and Luffy, after the time spent with his nakama in the past … or future … or whatever it was, knew how to recognize a crewmate's mood based on subtle signs.

His eyes traveled lower. She wore her short, black leather dress, complete with black thigh high-heeled boots.

Whatever was going to happen would happen soon. It was definitely the Enies Lobby outfit. It was a bad sigh in on its own, but on the other hand …

"Is something the matter, … Luffy?" the object of his 'observations' asked suspiciously. Luffy's eyes widened slightly for a split second because he was spotted. He looked at her face.

"No." he told her. "I just thought that dress makes you look hot."

The effect was instantaneous. All chatter died out immediately.

He looked around at his shocked nakama's faces. He blinked a few times in confusion.

"T-Thank you." the archeologist stuttered out. She wasn't actually embarrassed in any way, just surprised by his bluntness and honesty upon being found out.

He smiled at her, but then he looked at the rest of them (except Chopper, who was just as confused as he was and Zoro, who didn't really look all that surprised) with narrowed eyes.

"What the hell did I say that's so shocking?" he asked them.

Sanji was the first to snap out of it.

"You see, even the shitty captain can see our Robin-chan's beauty!" he yelled and twirled around her. His compliment didn't have even close to the same amount of effect that Luffy's had, however. After all, saying it every five minutes does tend to diminish the effect pretty soon. So she just thanked him politely.

He swirled around back to the navigator.

"And Nami-swan looks beautiful too!" he complimented her. She ignored him however, focusing instead on the captain.

"I can't believe I heard that from Luffy." she said quietly.

"You've got that right." Usopp agreed.

"What are you even talking about?!" Chopper demanded angrily, though in his hybrid form his anger looked more cute than intimidating. "Tell me!"

"Ah, Chopper, it's a human thing." Zoro said with a smirk and patted him on the head. He looked at the cook moving around the girls in his noodle form.

"Humpf, hopeless dartbrow." he muttered quietly, but the cook still heard him and came at him with a strong kick.

Luffy shook his head looking at his nakama.

'I still don't know what I said.'

* * *

After a few more moments, the crew separated as they usually did upon first reaching an island. Robin and Chopper went together, since they had similar destinations in mind.

Luffy briefly considered going with them, but decided against it. If he sensed she was in trouble, he could dash out in her direction, but she was far less likely to need his help. The other two, Usopp and Nami definitely could use the protection, since the Franky family was out to get them and their money. There was also the fact that Luffy had to handle the situation himself, since he wanted Franky to build his dream ship and not Iceburg, however good he might be himself.

Zoro stayed on the ship and Sanji went to get food supplies.

The six nakama separated soon after entering the city of water. Luffy rented the yagara bull that seemed to like him and used him to travel on the waterway. Usopp and Nami rented another one together, since neither of them wanted to stay alone in the dangerous city. Though Luffy seriously wondered why they were called bulls. They didn't look even remotely similar to any bull he had ever seen.

They traveled together, although they were separated a few times when Luffy saw something interesting or tasty.

After a while they reached Dock 1. Luffy attempted to go over the fence, but a long-nosed shipwright stopped him in his tracks.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a moment!" the shipwright said as he poked Luffy's forehead. "You can't enter here. Let's talk outside."

Luffy complied and the other man jumped over the fence.

'The CP9 swordsman.' Luffy thought as he looked at the man. 'Kaku, I think?'

"Square Usopp?" Luffy asked aloud after a moment. Nami seemed to agree with him, but the sniper didn't take too kindly to the comparison and proceeded to slap Luffy lightly on the cheek.

Luffy just laughed in response.

"This area is for authorized personnel only." the shipwright told them cheerfully. "Do you need something from this dock?"

Nami took a step forward.

"Ah, yes!" she exclaimed. "We wanted to see Iceburg-san."

"Iceburg-san?" he asked. "Are you costumers?"

She handed him the introduction letter from Kokoro.

"Ah, I see." he announced.

"So, you know this Iceburg person?" Nami asked. He laughed.

"How could I not?" he replied. "He's the mayor of Water 7. He's also the boss of the Galley-La company and the superintendent of the Sea-train."

Usopp whistled.

"He seems very important." he said in an impressed tone.

"He is." Kaku replied. "There's nobody in this town who wouldn't know of him."

"So, where could we find him?" Nami asked.

Kaku proceeded to tell them that he didn't know and that Iceburg was pretty elusive, so it was hard to track him down.

"So, I take it you guys are here to repair your ship?" Kaku asked after a while. Luffy shook his head.

"No, the ship's keel is already damaged, so we'll need a new one." he answered. Usopp and Nami nodded as well.

"Ah, I see." the shipwright replied. "I assume you have enough money?"

Luffy nodded.

"Money is not a problem." he told him.

"Oh, new costumers." another voice announced from behind Kaku. The shipwright turned around.

"Ah, Iceburg-san!" Kaku greeted. The owner of the voice raised his right hand in greeting.

The mayor walked up to them with his secretary.

"So you guys need a new ship, do you?" the man asked. He then turned to his assistant.

"Have you identified them, Kalifa?" he asked her. She nodded and looked at her notebook, which contained wanted posters.

"Yes, Iceburg-san." she replied. "Straw Hat Luffy, Pirate Hunter Zoro and Nico Robin."

Iceburg's expression turned into shock for just a split second upon hearing the last name. "Those three among the crew are wanted. Total bounty of 299.000.000 Berry."

She turned a page.

"They are originally from East Blue. They are a crew of seven and are known as the Straw Hat Pirates." she finished. Usopp wore a shocked expression.

'They know everything!' he thought.

"You're pretty well known yourself, Straw Hat." the long-nosed shipwright commented. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishi! I guess so!" he replied cheerfully.

"I see you've come a long way." the mayor told them. "I'm the boss of this city, Iceburg."

He had a tiny white mouse in his shirt pocket. He patted it's head with his index finger.

"And this is a mouse that I found earlier." he announced with the same serious voice. "I think I'm going to call him … Tyrannosaurus."

Luffy's eyes bulged out.

'That's an awesome name for a mouse.' he thought.

"I still have to buy him food and a cage." the mayor continued, still focusing on the mouse.

"Already taken care of." the blonde secretary replied. The mayor turned to her with a slightly shocked expression.

"Well, as efficient as always, Kalifa." he complimented.

"Thank you." she said politely. "More importantly, you have a lunch meeting at the Chiza hotel with the management of the glass factory in ten minutes. After that you're giving a lecture at the Liguria plaza followed by a meeting with mayor-"

"Don't wanna." Iceburg interrupted childishly.

"Okay." the secretary replied. "Everything's canceled."

"Just like that?!" Usopp yelled with a comically shocked expression.

"Well, I'm powerful enough to do whatever I want." the mayor replied.

"That's pretty irresponsible for a mayor." Usopp replied with a deadpanned expression.

"In any case, Iceburg-san!" Nami said politely and handed him the letter they were given. "Look at this. It's a letter of introduction."

He looked over the paper.

"Look at their ship for them." he read. "Kokoro."

His face gained a disgusted expression as he saw the kiss mark in the right bottom corner.

"Crazy old woman." he muttered and crushed the paper in his hand. He raised his head to look back at the pirates.

"I see." he said. "She must have assumed you were going to repair it."

He yawned.

"Now I'm bored." he told them. "I'll take you on the tour of Dock 1 and later we'll talk about the ship."

They opened the giant steel door with the number one for them.

* * *

At the same time in a different part of Water 7. Robin followed behind Chopper who was running to the bookstore.

As she walked, a large masked man passed her.

"CP9." he murmured in her ear.

* * *

A few minutes later …

During the tour of Dock 1, Usopp was grabbed by a man in a round black outfit with a purple star on it.

* * *

_Okay, finally an update, right? I was kinda busy the last few days, always getting bothered to do random long boring stuff. And on Saturday I got myself a new phone, so Blackbeard has no power over my ability to call people anymore. That also took a while. I hope nobody was contemplating suicide when because I was gone? :D Just kidding._

_Anyway, if you're wondering why the crew bothers securing the suitcases of Berry - it's because the crates and boxes are first too heavy to just steal secretly and second because the Franky family doesn't know about the gold that is in them, but they do know what is in the suitcases._

_I hope the compliment didn't come out weird. I think it didn't, but I'm sure there'll be people who'll say Luffy would never use the word hot or that Luffy would never compliment someone like this or whatever._

_Sorry about the shortness and the cliffhanger. I'm planning to write the crack pairing one-shot today though. Either that or another chapter, though probably the first option._

_Anyway, thanks for reading. Please review._

_P.S.: As pointed out by the reader called DhanaRagnarok, he made the tvtropes page for Once Again. The link is in the profile and since I'm a horribly evil bastard, it's an adfly one. Though have no fear, it's the less annoying version without the waiting. Feel free to add stuff to the tvtropes page if you are familiar with the tropes._

_P.P.S.: Thanks for pointing out that it's P.P.S. and not P.S.S. I'm not a native speaker, so I, naturally, as ignorant as I am, had absolutely no idea what the thing means. So thanks for correcting me._

_P.P.P.S: I'm horrible, aren't I? Anyway, I just wanted to point out to the guest reviewer called Fan001 (I think) that he should either use english or german, not a mixed version of both. I can understand both languages, but its a lot harder when they are mixed._


	55. The thugs of Franky family

Once Again has its own tvtropes page now. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**55. The thugs of Franky family**

As the boss of Water 7 and the Galley-La ended their tour, he turned around and faced the Straw Hat pirate.

"So, shall we talk about your new ship then?" Iceburg asked. "Would you prefer if we went into the mansion or should we stay here?"

Luffy shook his head.

"Whatever is fine with me." he answered. "We can talk here."

The mayor nodded.

"By the way, is it true that you have a woman named Nico Robin in your crew?" he asked hesitantly after a moment.

Luffy blinked.

"Yes, we do actually." he replied. "She joined our crew in Arabasta."

The mayor gained a thoughtful expression.

"Why, is there something wrong?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.

"No." the mayor lied. "Nothing's wrong."

Luffy narrowed his eyes for a moment, but then shrugged.

"Hey girl!" someone yelled behind them. "Are you completely shameless?!"

Iceburg's looked past him and Luffy turned around to see what was happening. A blond shipwright was berating Nami. He was pointing accusingly at her.

"What?" the navigator asked in honest confusion. His cheeks flushed.

"You're exposing your legs!" he yelled at her. Luffy blinked a few times, but then face-palmed. "This is place where men work! How dare you come here dressed like this!"

"Now, now, Paulie!" the blond-haired secretary who stood beside Iceburg called. He looked in her direction and she walked towards him. "Calm down!"

As she reached him, he noticed that she too was wearing a short skirt.

"That goes for you too, Kalifa!" he yelled at her. "How dare you show yourself in that contemptuous outfit!"

Luffy chuckled.

"Paulie is … really shy." Iceburg commented while picking his nose. Lucci pulled him away from the girls.

Luffy's eyes focused on the man.

'The pigeon-bastard.' he thought and clenched his fist, but then he shook his head. 'No, I can't do anything unprovoked anyway.'

"I can see that." he said aloud. Iceburg didn't notice his momentary tension. He turned back to the mayor.

He sighed.

"Ice-ossan." Luffy started. The mayor flinched at the nickname, but didn't comment on it. "I wanted a new ship, but I wanted it made out of Adam Wood. Is that possible?"

Iceburg's eyes widened.

"Treasure Wood Adam?" he repeated. Luffy nodded.

"Well, as I'm sure you're aware, making ships out of that wood is considered illegal." the mayor started. "Oro Jackson, the pirate king's ship was made from that wood and it was so strong that the world government forbade the use of Adam wood for ship building soon after his capture. After a few years they even outlawed the wood itself."

He sighed.

"I'm sorry to say that, but I don't think any of our shipwrights would be willing to go against the law in such a way." the man finished. Luffy gained a thoughtful expression. "But ..."

Luffy raised his head.

"There is one man who always wanted to build a ship out of that wood again." he continued. "But he gave up ship-building long ago."

Luffy sighed, but truthfully he was glad the matter turned out this way. Now he didn't have to make any excuse for not ordering the ship here.

"I see." Luffy replied. "And who is that man?"

The mayor's eyes widened for a split second. He hesitated.

"It … it's Franky, the boss of the Franky family." he finally told him. "But I doubt he'd be willing to make a ship for a pirate of all people."

Luffy nodded, but then a sudden realization hit him. He looked around wildly.

"What is it?" the mayor asked.

"Hey, where's Usopp?" he shouted at Nami, who was looking at the different ships that were anchored there. She looked around and didn't notice him anywhere. Luffy didn't either.

'Crap.' he thought. 'I got distracted.'

He turned back to Iceburg.

"Could you please make sure my navigator stays safe?" he asked him. The man looked at him oddly.

"What for?" he asked. Luffy sighed.

"Ever since we got in this city, the Franky family kept attacking us, trying to steal our money." he told him. "I'm afraid they might have kidnapped Usopp."

The man's eyes widened.

"Then you should go look for your friend." he told him. "The Franky family often do things like that. We'll look after her for you."

Luffy nodded. Iceburg expected him to start running towards the gate, so he was startled when Luffy suddenly jumped in the air.

Nami walked towards the mayor.

"Hey, Iceburg-san, where did he go?" she asked him. He looked at her.

"He thinks your friend might have been kidnapped." he told her, evoking a shocked reaction.

Kalifa had seen the superhuman jump.

'This could be a problem.'

* * *

Luffy hated to leave Nami in the midst of the shipyard, surrounded by the CP9 agents, but he knew they wouldn't dare to make any sort of move in the broad daylight like this. Plus, they would actually protect her from any Franky family members should they try to make a move, since they had to keep their real identities secret. He also knew about Franky's connection to Iceburg, so he could be reasonably sure that she would not be kidnapped too while in his presence.

He landed on a tall building and looked around. He focused his observation haki. It was a lot harder to locate someone in a crowded city like this and his specialty was armament, not observation. Nevertheless, he was pretty decent at it.

He tried to spot Usopp's presence, but it was hard. So that's why he tried to sense if anyone was fighting, specifically, if a group of people was fighting or beating up a single person.

He sensed three cases like this.

One was on the very edge of his reach and he knew they couldn't have gotten Usopp so far away so quickly. Two were nearer. One was in the direction of the Going Merry. It seems the Franky family was also attempting to search the ship.

The other was nearer. It was close-by actually, in the backstreets of the great metropolis.

He activated his Soru and dashed ahead.

* * *

On a backstreet of Water 7, behind a few shops, Usopp laid on the ground next to the wall. He looked very roughed up.

"Now, _niichan_, you're going to get us some of that money of yours!" the man nearest to him commanded with a large smirk on his face. There were many others behind him.

"NO!" the sharpshooter yelled.

The man lost his smirk for a second.

"Still you talk back!" the man said. "But no-one's going to help you now, so you'd better just give up and do as we say! "

He punched the sniper in the gut. He spat out some blood.

"I-I'm n-not going to do that!" Usopp yelled, but he had trouble speaking at the moment. He tried to stand up, but could barely even lift his body.

"You are not in any condition to talk back!" the man in charge yelled and prepared for another punch.

Someone poked him on the shoulder with his finger.

"What?" he asked and relaxed his arm. He turned around.

Behind him was a man in a straw hat.

"W-When d-did he get here?" someone stuttered out. Luffy clenched his right hand and slowly moved the arm across to his left shoulder.

Then he swung it, hitting the man sideways in his ribs.

The man flew a hundred meters and imbedded himself in the wall of a house. He fell out of the wall and on his knees. He spat out blood.

The Franky family only now noticed what had happened. Usopp was a little quicker than them.

"ZAMBAI!" a few of them yelled as they turned to the right. The man tried to get up, but he couldn't. After a moment he collapsed on the ground. That was one of Luffy's normal punches.

"L-Luffy … " Usopp stuttered as he turned back to the man in question.

"Are you okay, Usopp?" Luffy asked in an uncharacteristically low tone, with the straw hat still shadowing his eyes.

"I-I'll be fine."Usopp replied and sat against the wall.

"I should have gotten here sooner … " Luffy murmured. Finally he lifted his head. Usopp was startled as he saw the look in his eyes. He had never seen his captain this angry before. His occasional anger outbursts due to bad mood paled significantly in comparison.

Said captain turned around.

The thugs seemed to agree with him as they started sweating and some even started backing away.

"Don't mess with my nakama!" Luffy muttered darkly as he glared at them, but everyone heard him nonetheless. Many of them gulped.

"T-That's the guy from the ship!" someone yelled in panic. A few of the eyes widened. It seems some of them recognized him.

Some however remained clueless of the deadly aura and the implications of facing the Straw Hat pirate who had just punched their leader aside like a bug. Fools like that do exist.

One of them in the back who was larger than the others laughed obnoxiously.

"Muehehehe! So you're the captain of that useless weakling, are you?" he asked mockingly. He stepped towards the front.

"No, don't provoke him!" someone else yelled.

The single Kairiki destroyer ignored him however and stepped in front of Luffy.

"Then how weak are _you_, if you had to gang up on him?" Luffy asked rhetorically. Even if Usopp was weak compared to the monster trio, Luffy knew he wouldn't lose against a single opponent. Usopp was resourceful and clever, he could hold his own. He proved all those things even back when Luffy first met him in Syrup village. So, the only conclusion Luffy could reach was that a few of them ganged up on him.

His words seemed to anger the larger man and he swung his fist towards Luffy. The pirate dodged his punch, letting it go past his head. He pulled his right arm behind him, stretching it.

"**Gomu Gomu no Pistol!**" he announced and punched ahead, hitting the large man in his armor, which to him looked more like some sort of an adult diaper. Upon contact, the armor cracked and shattered completely, falling off afterward, revealing an _actual_ adult diaper.

Luffy would have laughed normally, but his current mood was a bit too murderous for that. He pulled back his arm and looked around at the rest of them.

"You guys are done." he told them in a low tone.

After hearing this, they starting running, every man for himself.

But it wouldn't save them.

Like in a nightmare, Luffy dealt with each man separately, punching them into the ground, while others could do nothing.

When only one remained, Luffy appeared before him using his 'Soru' and the man started stumbling away backwards. He looked around and realized he was the only one standing.

He hit a wall behind him.

"D-Don't …" he pleaded. Luffy stopped just in front of him.

"Your friends will all be fine." he said after a while. "But if something like this happens again, I won't be so nice next time."

With that he punched the man in the gut and walked away, making him fall on the ground after a moment.

On the other side, next to another wall, Usopp was trying to get up. Luffy walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't push yourself, Usopp." he told him. He helped him get up and they walked together towards the location of the ship. Luffy noted that Zoro was done with the weaklings.

"I'm sorry for not getting here sooner." Luffy apologized. The sniper sighed.

"It's my fault." he said solemnly. "I was too weak."

Luffy shook his head lightly.

"You're not weak, Usopp." he told him. The sniper chuckled.

"Don't lie." he said bitterly. "I was useless against them."

He lowered his head. Luffy sighed.

"Usopp, you're a sniper, not a martial artist." he replied. "So don't worry."

His friend nodded, though Luffy could tell it was still bothering him. He hoped he'd be able to prove to Usopp that he's not useless soon.

* * *

As they reached the ship, they could hear Sanji yelling something. They boarded the ship.

"Luffy-" Sanji begun, but he stopped when he saw how beaten up Usopp was.

"Chopper!" the cook yelled. The tiny doctor came running almost immediately. Zoro too woke up and came down towards them.

"What the hell happened?" he asked. Luffy put the sniper on the ground and let Chopper check him over.

Both the swordsman and the cook looked at him expectantly.

"Well?" Sanji asked.

He sighed.

"Usopp got kidnapped by those bounty hunters." he said simply.

Their eyes darkened. Sanji bit his cigarette in half, while Zoro clenched his fist.

"Did you-" Zoro started.

"Yes." Luffy interrupted. "I beat them all up."

"What about Nami-swan?" Sanji asked. Luffy looked at him.

"She's fine. I left her with Ice-ossan." he replied. "I told them to look after her."

Sanji nodded.

"But I'll go get her now." he continued. "By the way, where's Robin?"

"Chopper said she just disappeared." Sanji told him. Luffy clenched his fist.

'Damn.' he thought. 'They must have contacted her.'

"Well, first I'll get Nami here and then we'll talk about that." he replied.

* * *

After a short while of jumping he reached Dock One again. He jumped across the fence, which nobody had prevented him from doing this time and entered the area.

He noticed that Nami was sitting somewhere on the side, right next to Kalifa and a blushing Paulie. He grimaced.

He didn't like seeing her next to a CP9 member, but for now it was fine, since they weren't enemies. At least not yet.

"Luffy!" Nami called. "What happened?!"

Luffy walked towards them and sighed.

"Usopp was kidnapped and beaten." he told her in a low tone. She put her hand in front of her mouth in shock.

"I-Is he okay?" she stuttered. Luffy nodded.

"I beat them up and took him to the ship." he told her. "We should get going as well."

She nodded and stood up. He looked at the two who were sitting next to her.

"Thanks for looking after her." he said.

"No prob-" Kalifa began.

"Straw Hat!" someone called behind them. Luffy turned in the direction. It was Iceburg. He walked towards them. "I take it you've solved the problem?"

Luffy nodded.

"It's okay now." he replied. The man nodded.

"Good, is there something else you want?" he asked. Luffy shook his hand, but then he remembered something.

"Um, I heard about the Aqua Laguna." he begun. "Could we find a place for the ship while that happens?"

"What's Aqua Laguna?" Nami asked in confusion.

"It's-" Luffy began.

"It's a huge wave that hits the city every so often." Kalifa interrupted.

"We can find a place to put your ship, but it'll cost you." Paulie added.

Luffy nodded. Nami didn't object.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow about that." he told them. "Let's go back."

After that, they left.

* * *

A few hours later …

* * *

Early in the morning, Luffy checked the Water 7 newspaper. Contrary to what he had expected, nothing had happened. He was confused.

After a quick breakfast, the crew had decided to look for Robin. Just as they were about to leave the ship (well, Sanji and Usopp stayed), they saw her walking towards it.

They waited for her to board and when she did, they saw she had a troubled expression.

She looked directly at Luffy.

"I need your help, Luffy."

* * *

_Okay. First of all, let me apologize for not writing a second chapter yesterday. I started writing the crackfic, but I was unable to finish it. I wanted to complete it this morning and guess what - power outage. Anyway, I'll try to upload it soon._

_Luffy is scary. Even without getting angered sometimes, but when he's pissed, he's like a walking nightmare. That breaks all the bones in your body._

_As you've figured out, things are different. In canon, at night CP9 attacked the mansion. But this time it didn't. Also Robin returned in the morning. My evil plan continues. _

_I hope you liked this chapter. This was one of those that seemed to write itself, so I hope its good. :) Please review. _


	56. The woman who bears darkness

Once Again has its own tvtropes page now. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**56. The woman who bears darkness**

It was a somewhat gloomy morning. It wasn't even close to noon yet when Luffy followed Robin into the city after she asked him for help. She carried a specially made pirate lunchbox, which she was given by Sanji before departure.

They passed many buildings and shops. Luffy was in a relatively good mood ever since Robin returned to them. He figured that the extra strength made all the difference from before, so the archeologist wasn't so afraid of the CP9's threats.

"So, Robin, what do you need my help with?" he asked her as they walked together. She lowered her head slightly. One could tell she was troubled.

"I-I was contacted by government agents." she told him. His eyes widened slightly for a moment. "I need you to take care of them."

He grinned.

"Okay." he said simply.

He looked at her sadly. She looked troubled, but he could understand that.

They walked into the backstreets of the great city together. He walked a bit behind her and looked around. They've entered quite a shady neighborhood.

'So they're here?' he thought. 'Are they waiting for her to report back or something?'

He didn't know much about their previous experience in Water 7. Back then, everything happened so suddenly. There was also the matter of with Usopp, which he had fortunately managed to avoid this time, but had distracted him too heavily back then to have any other, more useful memories that could help him. Not that he was a very observant person to begin with.

He continued looking around, but suddenly she stopped and he bumped into her.

"Sorry, Ro-"he started.

"Luffy." She interrupted and turned around. "Thank you for doing this."

She leaned closer to him.

And then she did something he never ever would have expected from her. She kissed him.

As she pulled back, Luffy couldn't help but just stare at her. His mind went blank for a moment.

"Robin-" He began.

Then he heard something click. Suddenly he felt his energy draining.

He felt dread creeping through his body. He looked at her face with widened eyes. After many weeks of traveling with them, she had put her old mask of cold indifference back on her face.

He looked at his hands. On his right wrist was a cuff, presumably made from seastone.

"Robin, why did y-" He tried to ask.

"As I'm sure you've found out by now." She interrupted coldly. "I've been using you."

At that moment, Luffy felt two relatively powerful auras approach them. He recognized both of them.

He heard clapping.

"Well done, Nico Robin!" someone announced with an emotionless voice. Two people approached them from behind.

Luffy looked in her eyes. She might have been the best at finding out or hiding things in the crew, but not even she could fool him like this.

Her face might have shown indifference, but her eyes only showed regret, sadness.

"I don't believe you." He said calmly. It was a statement, not a question. Before she could respond, one of the two men started walking towards them.

"You'd better do, Mugiwara." A voice told him. "Nico Robin was never your nakama."

He turned around. Standing behind him was Rob Lucci.

Luffy smirked slightly and narrowed his eyes at him.

"Who are you guys? Are you playing dress-up?" he asked. The man ignored his comment and stepped over to Robin.

"If you must know, we are government agents." The man continued calmly. "She made a deal with us. In exchange for her help, we'll erase her bounty."

The words were half right. The bounty would be erased, but only because Robin would be neutralized as a threat. She would be sent to the Marine HQ. When the World Government would no longer have a use for her, she'd probably be disposed of. Either that, or sent into Impel Down, where she could _atone_ …

"And why did you need her help?" Luffy asked. It was a simple question, but it was very obvious that they didn't have a good answer for it.

"We have need of her … special skills." Lucci replied. Luffy laughed.

"I would have thought government assassins would be able to complete their mission without the help of a pirate." He mocked. He looked at Robin.

He put his hat on his head and looked her in the eyes.

"And don't try to lie to me." He told her. "When someone gets a bounty this high, there's no turning back."

"It's a special deal, I-"

"You're not famous enough to be a Shichibukai and there _are_ no other deals." He interrupted her. "Which means there's something else you're after."

She bit her lip, unknowingly shattering her cold façade.

'Why does he have to make this harder than it has to be?' she thought as she tried to compose herself.

"So why-" He continued.

"It doesn't concern you!" she yelled, interrupting him. "What I do is my own business! If I stayed with you, I could never make my wish come true!"

"And what is your wish?" he asked in a serious tone.

"Enough." The third voice interrupted. It was the other CP9 member that Luffy had fought, Blueno. He grabbed Luffy from behind and forcefully put the cuffs on his other wrist as well. The pirate tried to resist, but he was too weakened from the seastone.

Luffy groaned.

'This seastone really is something.' He thought in irritation. 'Without Robin's little _trick_, there's no way the cow-guy of all people would be able to cuff me like this.'

With that, Robin and Lucci turned around and started walking, while Blueno pushed him forward to do the same.

"So, where are we going, guys?" Luffy asked cheerfully. A bit too cheerfully.

Robin's eyes widened in shock upon hearing him speak.

'What's this?!' she thought. 'Why is he acting like this? Doesn't he ever panic?'

"You'll see soon enough." Blueno answered in his usual calm tone.

Luffy sighed.

"Ah, you guys are sooo mean!" Luffy whined. "First you kidnap my archeologist and then you don't want to tell me where we'll all going!"

"I wasn't kidnapped!" Robin retorted. Luffy snorted.

"Robin, Robin, I don't think you're dumb enough to believe the CP9 will erase you bounty!" he replied. Everyone stopped walking at that moment.

"I never said we were CP9." Lucci told him. Robin glanced up to him and was startled by his expression. His eyes were wide. He was sweating.

"Shishishishi! Then I must have guessed!" Luffy lied. Then they continued walking.

'It's too bad that Robin did this.' Luffy thought. 'But then we'll just go after her and rescue her!'

Then he got struck by a sudden realization.

'What if they lock me somewhere so I'm unable to go after her?' he thought in panic. He sweated a bit.

'No.' he signed in relief inwardly. 'Aqua Laguna is approaching. Since she wants to save us, she must somehow tell the crew where I am before that happens.'

Then he grinned.

'Now for my next trick …'

"Ahem!"

Everyone looked at him. They suddenly got a terrible feeling in their guts.

"The islands in the south~ are warm~ "

Robin turned around in shock.

'He's _singing_?!'

"Paina-purupuru~ Their heads get really hooot~"

"Blueno, please shut him up." Lucci ordered. Blueno took out a cloth and pushed it in Luffy's mouth.

The rubberman simply gulped it down.

"AND THEY ARE ALL IDIOTS~ " Luffy continued louder, much to the assassins annoyance. "Ahem! Next verse!"

Then, before Luffy could continue singing, they've reached their destination. It was a shady looking place. A small house that seemed to be falling apart.

Luffy's eyes bulged out.

"This looks like a house from a horror story." He commented. Robin silently agreed with him, but didn't voice it.

"Are there zombies in there?" he asked childishly.

"Don't be stupid." Blueno told him. He pouted.

They entered the house. Blueno pushed him through the door roughly. He entered as well and closed it.

There was a table in the middle of the room with two chairs around it. Lucci sat down on one of them.

"Nico Robin." He began. "We went through all that trouble to get him, so I hope what you said is true."

Robin proceeded to sit down on the other chair. She put the lunchbox on the table.

"It is." She replied. "After all, why would I lie given what is on the line?"

He studied her expression for a moment and then looked at the table.

"Right." He answered. "In any case, we need to discuss our plan for this evening. While it's unlikely that Straw Hat will be able to make much difference now, I still don't want him listening."

She stood up.

"Then I'll take care of it." She told him. He nodded.

Luffy thought it was odd that he trusted her with that, but then he remembered that she probably couldn't afford to betray them.

There were two other rooms in the small house. Robin opened one of them with her devil fruit and then she walked up behind him and pushed him forward, indicating that he had to move. He complied and started walking.

When they entered the room and she closed the door, Luffy immediately turned around.

"You know, Robin, there's really no need to pretend anymore." He told her. "I know everything."

She stared at him.

"About CP9, Iceburg, Franky … " He continued. With every word uttered, her expression became more and more shocked. "I also know about Ohara and the Buster Call."

"How long-" She began.

"Oh, I knew about the reason for your bounty even before you joined the crew." He interrupted her. She started sweating. "The demon of Ohara."

"That's not-"

"And I found it unfair for you to get such a high bounty for doing absolutely nothing that would deserve it." He finished. She couldn't help but just stare at him in shock.

He sighed.

"But I honestly thought that you were going to trust me enough to deal with those guys." He told her. "I wouldn't even need to use Gear Second for them."

He looked at her shocked face and grinned.

"But I can still do it, if you unlock these cuffs." He continued.

"How is this possible?!" She yelled. "Why do you know everything?!"

"Maybe I'll tell you when you return to the crew." He said smugly.

"Didn't I make it clear enough that I'm leaving?!" she yelled at him. He narrowed his eyes at her.

And didn't I make it clear that I'm not letting you?" he countered back, leaving her back in shock.

There was silence for a few moments.

"Sabo tried to leave once, to protect us." He whispered. "If I hadn't followed him then … he'd be dead."

'And he _was_ dead.' He thought to himself regretfully. 'He _was_ dead in one lifetime.'

"They … " She began. "T-They said they were going to do whatever it takes to accomplish their goal."

She took a deep breath.

"They threatened to … kill the weaker straw hats when you weren't around." She continued. "And they said that if they had to, they'd use a Buster Call against us."

An arm appeared on his shoulder. He glanced at it. Robin threw something at it. The other arm caught it.

"I'm sorry, but I have to do this. So this is goodbye." She said with a tone of finality.

A sharp needle penetrated his skin.

"When you wake up, it'll all be over. You should all forget about me." She told him with sadness apparent in her voice. "Goodbye."

A lone tear slipped down her cheek as she left.

* * *

A few hours later …

* * *

"Luffy!" someone yelled.

"N-No, let me sleep … " he murmured and turned his head around.

"Luffy, wake up!" someone else yelled.

He groaned in annoyance. Then he felt sudden pain in his left cheek. Someone had slapped him.

"WAKE UP!" a demonic voice yelled in his ear.

This jolted him awake.

Before him was his crew, minus Robin and Sanji. The demonic voice of course belonged to Nami, although right now her face looked more worried than demonic.

He sat up.

"Are you okay, Luffy?" Chopper asked worriedly. Luffy nodded.

"I'm fine …" he muttered. Then he remembered what had happened.

"Robin!" he yelled. "We need to get Robin!"

Zoro walked up closer to him.

"Did she do this to you, Luffy?" he asked. Luffy nodded.

"Luffy … " Chopper cried out. "Did Robin really betray us?"

Luffy looked at him in surprise.

"Did you see her?" he asked. Tears started falling from the little doctor's eyes.

"Yes …"

* * *

_Flashback:_

_The crew secured the ship in one of Water 7's "water garages" owned by the Galley-La company. Then they went shopping for supplies, except for Usopp and Zoro, who stayed on the ship._

_When they returned, late in the afternoon, there was still no sign of either Luffy or Robin._

_So they went to search for them._

_…_

_In the middle of searching, Franky appeared, wanting to take revenge for Luffy beating up his minions. Since he couldn't spot Luffy, he settled for the next best thing, which was the only present crewmember with a bounty, Zoro._

_…_

_The battle lasted quite a while. Franky had the initial advantage, thanks to his metal body and his many weapons, but Zoro was faster and stronger._

_…_

_During the battle, they heard screaming. It came from Iceburg's mansion. _

_…_

_Franky, getting a bad feeling, rushed there. Zoro followed Franky, yelling that the fight wasn't over and the crew followed him._

_…_

_Upon entering the mansion, Franky immediately headed for Iceburg's room. When he entered, he was effortlessly defeated by the CP9._

_…_

_Robin was with them. She told them that they will never see each-other again. The crew was shocked and demanded an explanation, which was not given. They tried to fight the CP9, but were defeated as well. _

_…_

_The crew was left there with an unmoving Iceburg, while CP9 left, taking Franky. Chopper checked his pulse. He was still alive, barely. _

_..._

_The mansion burst into flames. The straw hats escaped, carrying Iceburg and the shipwright foremen that were defeated in the building._

_…_

_Upon leaving the building, many shipwrights and townspeople confronted them. It seems CP9 spread rumors about how the straw hats were disgruntled and planned revenge because Iceburg refused to build them an Adam Wood ship. They also made sure Robin was seen. Upon seeing who they carried, they knew better._

* * *

"I see." Luffy replied. While they were explaining, Nami had taken his cuffs off using her mad lock-picking skills.

"By the way, where's Sanji?" he asked.

Zoro snorted.

"As soon as me and Franky started fighting, he rushed off, saying how he needs to save his Robin!" he explained "So, what happened here?"

Luffy sighed.

"As you can probably guess, Robin put those-" He pointed at his cuffs that were finally off. "-on me when she distracted me."

"Distract you?!" Nami asked him in surprise. "How could she distract you? You have that observation thing!"

Luffy's face gained a very slight shade of red. Everyone looked at him confused.

"Well, ermm." He began, slightly embarrassed. "She kissed me."

Their faces became very similar to the surrounding white wall at that moment.

"WHAT?!" everyone yelled at him. He scratched his head.

"I know." He said. "I was pretty surprised too, so I kinda dropped my guard."

Zoro was the first to snap out of it.

"Hehehe, the crap cook is going to have a field day!" he announced in apparent joy.

"Anyway, enough about that! Did she betray us or not?" Nami demanded loudly. Luffy sighed again and gained a serious expression.

"No." he replied. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. "But we need to rescue her. She is trying to sacrifice herself for us."

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"She only obeyed their orders because they threatened to use a Buster Call on us." He continued.

"What's a Buster Call?" Chopper asked curiously. Luffy shook his head.

"We don't have time for this." He said. "Robin is being taken to Enies Lobby right about now."

They all got determined looks on their faces.

Zoro smirked.

"So, your orders, captain?" he asked.

"We rescue Robin and ... Enies Lobby burns tonight."

* * *

_Okay. First of all, this chapter was a bitch to write. I had everything planned out and yet ... the chapter was a HUGE PAIN IN THE ASS! And even now, the more I reread it, more awkward it looks to me. Especially the betrayal part. _

_Okay, first of ... why was I so cruel as to make her kiss him and then do the whole betrayal thing? Honestly? I couldn't really think of a better way to make him drop his guard. Plus, it's a romantic development. Well, sort of. :) Also, a little forewarning. I saw in some romantic fics how authors described kisses. How their tongues battled in their mouth and some other crap like that. I'm not going to do that. Ughh. I feel as though this fic would really jump the shark or bite the big bazooka or whatever if I started describing kisses and stuff like that. Not that I ever would. I still have my man pride or whatever other pride that thinks the entire thing is ridiculous. (I'm also not going to write any actual lemons. But I've said that already a few times.) _

_Now that that's over with, on to more serious stuff. First off - I'm planning one other chapter which will combine the Water 7 departure and travelling by train. The Enies Lobby arc shouldn't take too many chapters. I suspect I'll spend three or four chapters on it. _

_If you're wondering about where everyone is right now ... Franky and Robin are with CP9 on the sea train. Sanji is on the last wagon. Usopp and Merry are in the underground garage. (Sort of like that Franky's secret base that he had.) The rest of the straw hats are in an abandoned house somewhere on the lowest part of Water 7. Iceburg, his shipwrights and Franky family are somewhere on the upper part of Water 7, where they are safe. And Brook is ... just kidding. You know where Brook is. _

_Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. I don't. I HATE YOU, CHAPTER! BURN IN HELL! xD Please review._

_P.S.: What the hell should I do with the romance thing from now on? I'm not good at this, dammit! :D_


	57. Travel to the Judicial island

Once Again has its own tvtropes page now. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**57. Travel to the Judicial island**

The Straw Hat pirates ran towards the train station, where the train was about to leave. The wind was strong now, indicating that the Aqua Laguna was close.

Luffy was munching on the sandwiches from the lunchbox that Robin had left in the small house and for once, nobody commented on or even minded his horrific lack of manners. He needed it too. He hadn't eaten since breakfast and with Luffy, that's life-threatening. Well, maybe not for him …

As they passed a few houses, Luffy thought of something.

"By the way." He began. He literally swallowed one of the sandwiches. Everyone looked over to him. "How did you find me?"

Zoro smirked. He pushed something into Luffy's free hand as they ran.

Luffy blinked in confusion and then looked at the paper he was given. His eyes widened slightly, but then he smirked as well.

'Why you bad girl … ' He thought. Written on the paper was the full address of the house where he was locked.

"This fell out of her pockets when she was leaving." Nami said, confirming Luffy's thoughts. "But Chopper's nose also helped a lot."

"I see." He said aloud. Then he felt a familiar aura nearby.

They ran over a small bridge that extended across the water. From the left, the shipwright Paulie ran with a few of his shipwrights. He was wounded and his blood had stained his clothes, but he was apparently still in the shape to run around. Somehow.

"Hey, guys!" Paulie called. "So you've found him, huh?"

The straw hats smiled at him. Nami did a thumbs-up.

They joined them and started running alongside them.

"So where are you going now, Straw Hat?" Paulie asked. Luffy gulped down the remaining food and threw the lunchbox away.

"Did the sea-train leave yet?" he asked afterwards. The shipwright gained a thoughtful expression.

"Hmm, well, it was supposed to leave at 11, but I have no idea what the time is." He said after a while. "Things have been a bit rowdy."

"I see." Luffy replied. Then he sighed. He could see Nami was getting a bit tired from running. Chopper too, but it was less apparent.

"Well, there's no sense wasting time running there." He said after a moment. Everyone looked at him oddly as they ran.

"W-What do you mean?" Paulie asked in confusion. Everyone nodded, thinking the same thing.

Luffy stretched his arms, wrapping his left arm around the crew-members and his right around the shipwrights. They all got the feeling something terrible was about to happen.

"H-Hey, w-what are you-" one of the shipwrights began, but he was unable to continue as Luffy jumped.

"IAAAAAAAAAAA!" Nami screamed. The men did the same.

In close to an instant, they found themselves a few hundred meters in the air above the houses.

Luffy kicked the air, keeping himself up there.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" everyone yelled together with razor-sharp teeth.

"I jumped." He said simply.

Everyone looked down and freaked out when they saw what kind of distance he had covered.

"So, where's the train station?" he asked nonchalantly.

"T-T-There!" one of the shipwrights announced in a shaking voice and pointed with his finger.

Luffy dashed into that direction.

* * *

After he touched down and dropped the scared guys on the ground, he immediately ran towards the station.

It had three entrances. Above the one in the middle was a large sign saying 'station' so he was pretty sure it was the correct building.

He chose the central entrance. He missed the stairs leading downwards, so he accidentally rolled down them.

The rest of them followed him down, although Nami had to grab Zoro to prevent him from going in the opposite direction.

The place was already filled with water. Luffy barely stopped himself from falling into it by grabbing the walls with his hands.

"STOP!" he yelled to those behind him. They obeyed him. He put his legs back on the ground.

Then he turned around and ran back to them.

"The place is filled with water." He told them. "They must have already left!"

Nami and Chopper got a look of panic, while Zoro tried to keep his composure.

"B-But, we can't just let her-." Chopper began with tears forming in his eyes.

"We won't." Luffy reassured. "We'll find a way. But for now we need to get to higher ground!"

"But, Luffy-" Nami started.

"He's right." Zoro said calmly. "First we need to make sure _we_ are safe before we can make any plans."

Luffy nodded.

"Guys!" Paulie shouted. Everyone looked up the stairs.

"I found something!" he yelled. "It's a note from one of your crew-members!"

They ran up the stairs.

"How did you manage to-" she began, but then she noticed the big writing with a big arrow pointing down a pillar. To make it worse, everything was also in pink.

_Nami-san! Read This!_

_Don't read if you're not Nami-san!_

_You're all shitty jerkasses!_

"Oh my god." Luffy said in a deadpanned voice.

"WHO IS HE CALLING A JERKASS!?" Zoro snapped. Nami bonked him on the head.

"Anyway, hand me the note!" she said with a tick forming on her face.

Paulie complied.

As she read Sanji's hopeless love letter with the little bit of information that talked about Robin boarding the train, Chopper tugged at Luffy's cardigan. He looked down.

"Luffy, why is Sanji always so much nicer to girls?" he asked innocently. Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"Well, Chopper, you see-"

"Because he's a dumbass." Zoro interrupted. Luffy snickered.

"Well, that works too." He replied. "But Sanji was always taught to be nice to girls, so that's why."

Zoro snorted.

"My explanation is better." He said.

"Anyway, guys!" Nami interrupted. "Sanji is on the train, so there's at least that. And we have a baby Den Den Mushi if he calls us."

Luffy sighed.

"Okay. That's good. And Franky should also be on the train." He said. They looked at him in confusion. He noticed that.

"Well, he might help Sanji since they're in this together." Luffy said.

"GUYS!" Paulie called again. Everyone looked at him. He had a look of horror on his face and was looking in the distance where the wave was approaching.

"Let's go." Luffy said. He grabbed everyone with his rubber hands and jumped in the air again.

* * *

He landed on the Water 7 district at the top of the city. He dropped everyone on the grass.

"S-S-Scary!" the shipwrights stuttered. Paulie just stared at him and panted.

Soon afterward, the first wave of the Aqua Laguna hit the city.

"What the hell was that?" Zoro asked as he panted.

"That's Aqua Laguna." Paulie replied. "And it's not over yet."

"It's big." Luffy said. Zoro snorted.

"That's an understatement." He said. Luffy nodded.

Then he heard some commotion behind them. People were crowding around a tree near the now no longer burning mansion.

Luffy recognized some of them immediately.

'Franky's guys …' he thought as he looked at their black outfits (which he still thought were hideous-looking).

He could feel Zoro tensing beside him.

He walked over to them. Leaning next to the tree was a heavily bandaged Iceburg.

"What do you mean 'taken'?" the man who appeared to be in charge (the same man who was responsible for beating up Usopp) yelled.

Iceburg gritted his teeth in pain and sat down next to the tree.

"CP9." He said simply. "They nearly killed me and they took Franky."

The men gasped in horror.

"T-That means …"

"They're taking him to Enies Lobby." Iceburg said solemnly. "I'm sorry, but there's not much we can do for him … "

The man noticed Luffy.

"Straw hat." He called. Franky's goons turned around in fear.

Luffy walked over to him.

"So, they found you." He said simply. Luffy nodded.

There was silence for a few moments.

"We're going to Enies Lobby." Luffy said. The man's eyes widened in shock.

He stared at him for a moment. The Franky family had similar expressions.

"Are you crazy?" he asked quietly.

Luffy just stared at with a determined look.

Iceburg signed. Then he slowly stood up.

"Well, if we don't give you any help, then you'll just get yourself killed." He said. Then he looked around, until his gaze settled on someone else.

They saw a familiar old woman walking towards them. Alongside her walked Chimney and Gonbe.

"Nagagagaga! What a crazy night! *hic*" she said and drank some wine from the bottle. "Oh Iceburg! You're okay!"

"Iceburg!" Chimney greeted.

The woman stumbled and nearly fell flat on her face, but she stopped herself in time.

"Kokoro-san, Chimney!" Nami greeted with a small sweat-drop. The woman turned their attention to them.

"Ah, *hic* it's you guys!" she said.

"What are you doing here?" Nami asked her. The old woman gulped down more of her alcohol and laughed.

"Nagagaga! Did you *hic* expect me to stay on the station during the Aqua Laguna?" she asked with amusement in her voice. She turned back to Iceburg, who was slowly walking towards her. "What's that look for, Iceburg?"

He sighed and looked at her.

"These guys-" He pointed at them. "-want to go to Enies Lobby."

She blinked a few times and then started laughing.

"Nagagaga! You're a bunch of idiots, you are!" she told them. The straw hats took offence to that.

"Hey, we can't just leave Robin to sacrifice herself for us!" Chopper yelled. Nami nodded.

"We have to go after her!" Luffy yelled, although he already knew that the woman wasn't really mocking them.

"That's right!" Chopper agreed. Zoro simply nodded in agreement.

She looked at them, studying their resolve while gulping down her drink. Then she stopped drinking and laughed again.

"Yosh! *hic* Then I'll take you there!" she announced loudly. Everyone fell down anime-style.

'Wow that was one quick 180.' Luffy thought as he picked himself up.

"Wait, guys!" someone yelled from behind Iceburg. Everyone turned around.

Luffy inwardly grinned as he saw who it was. It was the same man who had beaten up Usopp, the second leader of the Franky Family, Zambai.

"If you're going to Enies Lobby, then please take us with you!" he said. Luffy had a soft smile on his face.

"What do you mean?" Nami yelled. "How can you say something like that after all that you've done?!"

"That's right!" Chopper agreed. "Usopp is still hurt!"

The man dropped on his knees.

"Please!" the man begged with tears in his eyes. Others followed his example. "I know what we did and bearing that shame, I beg you. Please save aniki!"

That settled things for Luffy.

* * *

A few minutes later …

Nami and Zoro went with Kokoro and Iceburg.

"By the way, how are we going to get to Enies Lobby?" Nami asked as she followed after Kokoro.

"There's another sea-train!" Kokoro answered.

The Franky family went to get a lot of food and drink for the Straw Hat pirates. That was Luffy's condition for letting them join in the attack.

Luffy and Chopper went to the ship. The reindeer knew the way and he could find the rest of them with his nose afterwards.

As they arrived in the garage, Luffy noticed that they had carried the gold and money off the ship in case it would break down. Chopper quickly explained everything to Usopp, who was now up and about, while Luffy quickly ran into the men's quarters to change. He dropped the dirtied red cardigan and replaced it with a blue Hawaiian shirt which he left unbuttoned. Then he looked in the drawer. He took out the object he wanted to test for some time now.

The reject dial.

He grinned. He placed it on his right palm and then put a black glove on the hand. Given its immense power, if fit surprisingly well in his hand.

Then …

"Captain …" a childish voice called. Luffy looked around, but then he remembered what it was.

"Merry …" he whispered.

"I want to help my crew, Captain." The ship answered him cheerfully. He sighed.

"If you do this, Merry, you'll die." He said quietly. The voice laughed.

"Silly captain … I'm going to die regardless …" it answered.

Luffy's eyes widened. The full force of that statement hit him in the face like a ton of bricks. Merry would die … and there was nothing he could do about it.

'Not again.' He thought. Tears started gathering in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Captain."

* * *

A few minutes later the crew gathered in the sea train garage. The Franky family brought them the supplies. Finally, they set off.

The sea train crashed down on the ocean water and after that, Franky's goons, with their own ship and two King Bulls, Sodom and Gomorrah, violently attached themselves to the sea train from the back. Usopp didn't seem too comfortable with seeing them with them, but he didn't comment on it.

After this, everyone had a near heart attack (and Kokoro instantly sobered up) upon seeing that Chimney and Gonbe were on top of the sea train along with Luffy. They would have fallen off if Luffy hadn't rescued them when the train reached the tracks. Along with the three shipwrights that had stowed away somewhere on top of the train.

"Ah, we nearly died." Chimney said as everyone sat down inside the train.

"You're damn right!" Kokoro said scolding. "Didn't I say it was going to be dangerous?"

"My, my, that sure surprised me!" the shipwright Tilestone replied.

"My back hurts." The shipwright Lulu said.

"Wait a moment." Zoro said sweating. "I see some new faces here!"

Tilestone and Lulu looked around in fake confusion.

"Where?" they asked.

"He means you, you dimwits!" Paulie yelled at them.

"AND YOU TOO!" Zoro yelled with razor-sharp shark teeth.

The shipwrights explained that they were going to fight no matter what anyone said, so that was the reason why they boarded the train. Then Paulie proceeded to explain to them who the CP9 were, which shocked them.

"Oh, no!" Nami screamed as she looked through the window. "Aqua Laguna!"

Luffy ignored her as he stepped forward towards the rest of the guys.

"Well, then … the Franky family and the Galley-La shipbuilders …" he began. Everyone looked at him. "We might be going in the same direction, but it'll mean nothing if we don't work together."

They nodded in agreement.

"You're right." Paulie admitted. Luffy took another step forward.

"Luffy!" Nami yelled in panic. "The Aqua-"

Luffy ignored her completely.

"Let's not have a big wave scare us." Luffy continued. They looked at him intently. He extended his arm forward.

Paulie and Zambai stepped forward, extending their arms as well. Paulie grabbed Luffy's elbow, Zambai grabbed Paulie's and Luffy grabbed Zambai's elbow. Their arms formed a triangle.

"We're allies now."

* * *

Luffy opened the window of the sea train. He looked through it and then stretched and grabbed the top of the train. He jumped up and headed for the front. The wave was nearly upon them.

"Hey, Luffy!" Zoro called from the train. Luffy turned around. "Need any help?"

Luffy grinned.

"Nah, just nap, Zoro!" he said cheerfully. Paulie and some others, who were shooting at the wave nearly fell over upon hearing this.

"He was napping?!" Paulie yelled with his eyes bulged out. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! Zoro likes to sleep!" he replied.

"THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE HERE!" the shipwright yelled. Luffy just laughed.

Then, after a moment, he turned to the wave and turned serious.

He unsheathed Tomorrow's sorrow and grabbed the hilt tightly.

'I haven't used you in a while.' He thought.

"**Armament.**" He murmured. His right hand blackened, thought it wasn't so noticeable now that he wore a glove. The black color spread to the hilt and then the blade.

"What are you going to do?" Paulie asked in confusion. Luffy raised the katana in the air.

"I'll make a path." Luffy said quietly, but the man heard him. He stared at him in confusion.

"**Tsuyoi Akainami** (Strong red wave)**!**" he yelled and slashed forward. A huge crimson flying blade attack traveled towards the wave.

When it hit the water traveling towards them it exploded in a flash of light.

When the light cleared, a huge hole in the middle of the wave greeted them.

Luffy blinked a few times.

'That's a lot bigger than I remember it.' He thought. He stared at it for a moment, but then he shrugged and turned around.

What greeted him were pale-as-wall faces with bulged out eyes and snot coming out of their noses and jaws hanging low. He blinked, but then he smirked.

He raised his sword to represent a certain pirate's bisento and straightened himself up.

"Ahem! Gurararara! Snot-nosed brats!" he said in his best Whitebeard voice.

When he received no reaction, he pouted and walked forward to return inside the train, but he was stopped in his tracks when Zambai and the other men from the top of the train rushed towards him … and bowed deeply.

"We're sorry for causing you trouble!" they all said at the same time. Luffy blinked and tilted his head to the side.

"You know … I'm not the one you should be apologizing to." He said quietly. They looked up to him. "You made me angry, but Usopp was the one you hurt."

They raised their heads.

"I understand." Zambai said. Luffy smiled.

"Whether or not he forgives you is his choice." He continued. "But I'll consider us good as long as you apologize."

The leader sighed in relief.

"Okay." He said. "I swear we won't do anything like that again!"

Luffy grinned.

"Of course you won't!" he said cheerfully without changing his tone. "If you did, I'd break all the bones in your bodies!"

The men nodded, but became as pale as a white wall again. They found cheerful death threats much scarier than his glare.

* * *

Luffy returned to the train with the men following him. They immediately rushed towards Usopp to apologize, but Luffy blocked their voices out when he heard Nami calling.

"Luffy!" she yelled. "It's Sanji-kun!"

He walked towards her and took the baby den den mushi.

"Hi, Sanji!" he greeted.

"Luffy." The den den mushi greeted simply. "Nami filled me in the situation. Robin is still being held captive. I heard what happened."

Luffy grinned.

"I see." He replied. "By the way, is Franky with you?"

The den den mushi shook its tiny little head.

"I left him in the train after I kicked him a few times." He said. Luffy sweat-dropped.

"Define few." He said.

"Twenty … ish." The den den mushi replied. Luffy's jaw dropped low.

"Anyway." He said after a moment. "Go free him."

"Why?" the snail asked with a confused voice.

"You need all the help you can get." Luffy told him. "Besides, Franky's guys are helping us."

There was a pause.

"Go as wild as you like."

* * *

The other sea train was in front of them. Or rather, two cars of the sea-train. Luffy rocketed himself into it, breaking through its roof.

He looked if Sanji was anywhere (he knew Sanji probably wasn't on it, but he checked anyway), but he wasn't, so he told Zoro to cut them in half. Which, he did.

Then, the swordsman fought with the ship-cutter and defeated him. More easily than the first time.

* * *

They were on edge. Luffy as well. He sat on the top front of train. Then he saw something in the distance.

He jumped into the train.

"Hey guys, the frog that does the front crawl is on the tracks." He told them. Everyone looked at him oddly.

"The frog that does the front crawl is on the tracks?" Chopper asked curiously. Luffy nodded.

"So, the frog that does the front crawl is on the tracks." Zoro said in a grave tone. Zambai looked confused.

"The frog that does the front crawl?" he asked. Luffy nodded vigorously.

"I see. Nagagaga!" Kokoro said. "Yokozuna is on the tracks!"

Zambai seemed to understand now.

"Nya Nya!" Gonbe said. Luffy nodded with a grave expression.

"Why are we repeating the stuff about the frog that does the front crawl?" Nami asked in confusion. Usopp sighed.

"I don't know why we're talking about the front that does the frog crawl either." He said irritated.

And then they crashed into it.

* * *

Yokozuna joined them on their journey after a bit of convincing by Kokoro-basan. After a while, the straw hats and their allies came across the sea-train with the lone inhabitant Sanji, who told them that the only reason he survived was because of Robin convincing the CP9 to not to kill him.

He looked a roughened up. Franky was unable to escape as the CP9 was unwilling to let him go. However, unsurprisingly, he was left alive.

The joined fighters began making plans to fight. Luffy however had his own plan. He rocketed himself to the island of Enies Lobby as soon as it came in sight.

* * *

_Okay, after being annoyed horribly by both the chapter, the heat and the constant interruptions while doing the chapter (seriously, they always interrupt me when I'm writing :( ), I've finally completed this. _

_It annoys me of course. I had to cover __a lot__ of different, semi-important stuff in this chapter. Which meant repeating stuff, since I usually at least vaguely follow canon events and I think all this stuff would still have happened. I also had zero ideas for change, which made it all the more tedious and annoying. Please don't berate me for following canon here. I could have skipped this part, but I felt it was too important to do so. _

_A few things to cover: Luffy's jump height. Aokiji jumped from his chair to the height of the top of the tsunami in pretty much an instant at Marineford. So, I see no reason why Luffy wouldn't be able to. _

_There were also individual comments telling me that Luffy should have broken through the seastone cuffs with his haki or made the CP9 faint. If that's so, I really want to know why Ace didn't do that at Marineford. He could have made the executioners faint. Why did he instead close his eyes? Is he like playing by the rules for some reason? And yes, Luffy is a lot stronger, but seastone still weakens him very very much. At Punk Hazard he commented that it was hard to even raise his voice. (Plus, it'd kinda ruin the story.)_

_Also, another thing. People who tell me (not many, but still) that a specific chapter is no different from canon except for dialogue. Well, sometimes, that is the change. Especially for chapters that are all dialogue. Which are many, btw._

_The name of the next chapter will be The nightmare of Enies Lobby by the way._

_Please review. Thanks for reading and sorry for the delay. I hope I made this annoying part of the story at least somewhat interesting. _


	58. The nightmare of Enies Lobby

Once Again has its own tvtropes page now. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

_Also, I should thank all of you guys for putting me on the 2nd spot in the number of reviews and follows (first if you only count the fics below the M rating) and 4th in the number of favorites (2nd if you count only those below M)._

_Numbers of reviews right now: 1293_

_Numbers of favorites: 786_

_Numbers of follows: 740_

_I'll probably reach number one in reviews with the next chapter or the one after that. (I need at least 1367 to get to the top) We'll also reach the number of 300.000 overall views reasonably soon. It has 285,592 right now._

_Once again (haha, I know), thanks for reading this story. _

* * *

**58. The nightmare of Enies Lobby**

Luffy rocketed towards the city where night never falls. Just as he was about to crash on top of the first gate, he kicked the air beneath him to prevent any noise. Then he landed softly on the ground.

He looked in the direction of Enies Lobby, the island that seemed to be floating above a giant hole. There was another gate that he had to pass in order to get to the city itself. He looked at the city. It had many buildings, but the recognized the one he was headed for immediately as it had the flag of the government, plus it was bigger than the others.

He sensed around with his observation haki. Robin and Franky were at the building with all of the Cipher Pol. It seems they were all together, along with someone who was actually weaker than a normal foot-soldier, but had an exceptionally malicious aura about him.

He smirked.

'They're making no attempt to move.' He thought. 'They're too arrogant. If they knew what was coming for them …'

He walked forward until he reached the edge of the building. He looked down.

'Hmm, there are no soldiers down there.' He thought. Then he jumped down. The force of the fall made the ground beneath him crack a bit.

He ran towards the other gate, until he saw the marine soldiers. He slowed down and started walking. Two of them at the front walked in his direction.

"Hey, little guy! Where you going?" one of them asked. The other smirked.

"Don't you know where you are, buddy?" he asked. Luffy pouted.

'I'm not little.' He thought, but didn't voice it. Instead he grinned.

"Hey, marine-san!" he greeted. "Do you have any matches?"

He stopped just in front of them. They looked at him oddly.

"What are you even doing here?" the first one asked. "How did you get in here?"

Luffy stick his pinkie in his nose.

"Well, I was just minding my own business, when a bunch of jerks playing secret agents came and kidnapped my archeologist." He said. "So I'm going to get her back and burn this city to the ground!"

Then he grinned brightly, while the two marines gaped at him with bulged out eyes.

Then he took his straw hat that was hanging from his neck and pushed it on his head. The two marines paled even further.

"Y-You're …" the first one stuttered. Luffy narrowed his eyes at him.

"I'm …?" he asked.

"Y-Y-You're …" the second repeated. Luffy blinked a few times.

"I'm what?" he asked them. They backed away slightly and raised their guns at him.

"S-S-Surrender, S-S-Straw H-Hat L-Luffy!" the first one stuttered out. Luffy pouted.

"No." he said in the most childish manner he could muster while sticking his tongue out.

They started firing. Luffy jumped up in the air, avoiding the bullets and kicked them towards the other, each with one of his feet. The men behind them all raised their weapons and started shooting at him. Luffy just ran towards the panicking marines and unsheathed his sword.

A few of them ran towards him with their cheap marine katanas raised.

Luffy dodged the slash from the first guy by moving slightly to the right and then kicked him in the back with his left leg. He put the katana in front of his face, blocking a slash. A few bullets hit him, but he made them bounce back at whoever shot him.

He kicked the man whose sword he had blocked in the crotch, making the others wince and send the said man flying somewhere in the gate.

Three marines roared and jumped towards him with raised swords. He jumped up in the air, avoiding their swords.

He was hit by more bullets and he bounced them of somewhere. When he landed behind them and they turned around, he used his gomu gomu no muchi technique to whip them, sending them tumbling on the ground to the left.

He turned around and faced the pale marines who kept shooting at him.

"Stop doing that!" he yelled in annoyance as he bounced back more bullets. They dropped their guns and unsheathed their katanas. They were obviously scared, as they began backing against the giant Enies Lobby gate which stood behind them.

One of them was trying to dial somewhere with his baby den den mushi.

"Hey guys!" Luffy called as he walked slowly towards them. They looked at him fearfully. "Just let me pass."

"Don't be ridiculous, pirate!" one of them yelled and charged towards him. The rest followed. Luffy ducked, avoiding the blade and slashed him across the chest. He sheathed his katana and jumped in the air.

"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!" he yelled and unleashed his attack, punching every marine except for one.

He landed on the ground. The marine he spared the punch was gripping the hilt of his katana tightly with both of his hands in front of him. He gulped, but then he raised his katana and let out a battle cry. He ran towards Luffy, but the pirate stopped his sword with two of his fingers.

The marine struggled and tried to get the sword out of the pirate's hand, but he couldn't.

"Die, Pirate!" the marine spat out, although it sounded very half-hearted since he was so overwhelmed.

"You know." Luffy began. The soldier looked at him. "I never would have come to this island if you didn't provoke me first."

He stared at the pirate.

"I never attack anyone without a reason." Luffy continued.

"Pirates don't need reasons!" the marine spat out as he continued to struggle in vain, incapable of budging the sword an inch.

"Get out of the way." Luffy told him.

He pushed the marine away along with his sword. The man just stood there panting and sweating when Luffy jumped on top of the second gatehouse.

* * *

Luffy landed on top of the second gatehouse. He could sense two relatively powerful people nearby. He remembered what happened last time and had to conclude those were the two giants that had helped them fight here.

'Just how did Usopp manage to convince them to join us last time?' he thought. 'I don't remember …'

But it didn't matter. They weren't doing anything to hinder him, so he'd just let the others deal with them like they did last time.

'Hmmm, what to do now …'

The auras in the tallest building made no indication of movement, so Luffy concluded that he had time. He looked down on the city. Marines were running around yelling stuff.

It seems the other marine had informed them someone was coming.

'Too bad I don't have any matches or anything … oh well.' He thought.

He sensed around with his haki. He didn't think there was anyone capable of sensing his haki on this island, but he had to be sure.

He was right. The strongest man on the island, aside from him, was Lucci and although his Rokushiki fighting style was deadly, he had no haki to speak of.

He grinned.

"**Armament.**" He mumbled. His right fist turned shiny black, although not that much difference was visible, since he was wearing a glove.

Then he activated gear second, localizing it on his right hand. Steam surrounded his hand and after a while, it burst into flames, although it didn't damage the glove, since haki was protecting it. He put a bit more haki in it, so it affected the flames.

He pulled the arm back and quickly punched a random building underneath him. Then the arm quickly snapped back.

He had to suppress a laugh when the marines nearly shat themselves when a building seemingly randomly collapsed next to them and caught on fire. He ducked behind the conveniently placed battlement on the gatehouse.

"W-What happened?" one of the marines asked while looking around in panic. The others weren't much better.

"Who did this?" another asked, slightly more calmly.

A few of them carefully approached the now burning ruins of the building and looked around for any sighs of hostiles. They found nothing. They must have been confused, since they kept looking around and tried to spot something, but they never saw anything. Of course, if anyone bothered to look up, he'd notice a fiery hand gripping the battlement and the head of the young pirate who was grinning evilly.

Although the marines were obviously still on edge, they were calming down slowly. Luffy saw that. He heard some of them saying something about the building not being built well or badly maintained or something like that. He looked around. There were a few marines on top of some of the taller houses.

He slowly stood up.

"I DID IT!" he yelled aloud, scaring everyone and making them look at him. He waited a little so most of them noticed him and then used his soru and quickly jumped down in the midst of them.

"Huh? Where did he go?" many of them asked as he disappeared.

"What are looking for?" he asked childishly.

"H- He's here!" the ones around him yelled. They backed away and then raised their swords and jumped towards him to attack.

Luffy jumped in the air and landed on a random navy soldier and stood on his shoulders, although he was facing the other way.

"G-Get off, f-filthy pirate!" the soldier underneath him yelled.

Luffy raised his right foot and … kicked him in the face.

"I'm not filthy, stupid marine!" Luffy yelled at him. The marine tried to shake him off and then tried to cut his foot, but Luffy just lifted his leg to avoid it.

"What are you standing around like this?" the man yelled at his comrades. "Shoot him!"

They obeyed his command and those that had guns, raised them.

They started shooting. Luffy jumped in the air and landed on building. He punched through the roof with his flaming fist and then jumped to another, doing the same. There was a marine on the third building and he nearly shat himself when Luffy landed in front of him.

The pirate simply grabbed him by the uniform with his left hand as he tried to attack.

"Hey." He said.

"W-W-What?!" the marine stuttered. Luffy grinned.

"Where's your meat?" he asked him. The marine's eyes bulged out upon hearing such a question.

"W-What?" he asked. Luffy sighed.

"Where's your meat?" he asked again. The man gulped. He pointed at one of the buildings. Luffy looked at it. It was a bit bigger than the others, although it had the same overall plain-looking brown design. He briefly wondered why the government would build such ugly housing for the marines, but he dismissed the thought.

"Thanks." He said simply.

"Y-You're welcome-AAAAAAAAA"

Luffy threw him off the building on top of some marines. Seeing as he released the man, the marines now started shooting at him again. He bounced off the bullets, punched the building and jumped off.

He landed between the marines again.

The closest to him backed away from him, leaving a small circle of space around him. One marine, somewhere in the back, started laughing.

"Hehehehe, what are you going to do, Straw Hat?" he asked mockingly. "There are 10.000 soldiers here in Enies Lobby!"

It was obviously a half-hearted attempt to return morale to the obviously shaken army of marines. Luffy had to give it to them. There were a lot of them there. They were everywhere he looked. But he wasn't worried.

"And I'm alone." He said simply. "So you'd better get out of my way!"

He cracked his knuckles and took a step forward. He raised his still flaming fist. They flinched and sweated, but stood their ground.

"Attack!" one of them yelled, obviously a higher ranked marine, since he was wearing a fancy green suit with a tie underneath a marine coat. He gripped his sword and ran towards Luffy. Others followed.

Luffy simply jumped up and used his soru. He punched a few more buildings with his right fist with the help of his, as he called it, super cool devil fruit ability. He didn't touch the marines yet.

The marines ran around in panic as more buildings collapsed around them. Some looked ready to pull their hair out. Luffy landed on the roof of the building that was supposed to be the restaurant or something to that effect. If the marine hadn't lied, that is.

He pouted as he looked at the town.

'They only start burning _after_ they are already down.' He thought and shook his head. 'Well, whatever …'

He deactivated his Gear Second technique and relaxed his right hand, making the armament disappear. He jumped down from the building and entered it. Marines noticed and followed him inside. A few jumped at him, trying to attack from behind, but Luffy just kicked them towards the rest of the guys.

The restaurant looked very simple. The floor was made from wood. The tables were long and both the tables and chairs were simplistic in design. The food was still on the tables. Some of the marines were obviously called out to defend during their meals.

Drool leaked from his mouth as he approached the many large tables in the big dining room.

"Meat …" he mumbled. The marines who were cautiously walking behind him blinked in confusion and looked at each-other as the pirate ran towards the tables and started devouring the food on them.

Three of them ran towards him with their swords raised.

"Meat punch!" Luffy announced and sent them flying towards the door with a big piece of meat on bone, his favorite. Most of the marines moved out-of-the-way, but a few were unable to.

He brought more food to his mouth and ate it all. More soldiers attacked him.

"Meat stab!" Luffy said and "stabbed" one of them with the piece of food, sending him flying in a wall. Then he ate the meat.

One of the marines, the one who seemed to be in charge looked at Luffy with bulged out eyes and a face-fault.

"H-He's beating them … WITH FOOD?!" he yelled as Luffy used another piece of food to send his marines flying. One of them crashed into him.

After a few more short moments, Luffy was done eating and walked towards the exit with a bulging stomach.

"Ah … that was good!" he said in satisfaction. In all honesty, the food wasn't nearly as good as Sanji's, but it was food.

"Damn pirate!" one of the marines spat out. Luffy closed one of his eyes and looked at him skeptically. The marines would have to stop being so repetitive.

"Go away!" he said simply while walking towards them. When no-one would budge, Luffy stretched his arms behind him and started running towards them. Seeing him on the offensive again made the nervous, although a few of them still ran towards him to fight him.

"**Gomu Gomu no …**" he started. Five marines with raised swords ran towards him.

"**Bazooka!**" he finished and hit the central one, but his attack didn't stop there. He dodged the blades of the other four and kept running, pushing the poor soldier effortlessly towards the other marines until he finally got out of the building.

As he did so, he stopped and snapped his arms back. He looked at the big pile of marines on the ground who were mostly unconscious. His lip twitched.

"Hey guys!" he chirped out childishly. "They'll catch cold if they sleep on the ground!"

"YOU WERE THE ONE WHO KNOCKED THEM OUT!" hundreds of marines yelled at him with razor-sharp shark teeth while slapping the air. Luffy laughed.

"Shishishishi! You guys are so funny!" he said cheerfully.

Then his smile fell and he looked at them with a serious expression. Suddenly, he bowed slightly. The marines looked at each-other in confusion.

"Please let me pass." Luffy said semi-politely and looked back up.

"Like hell, pirate!" one of them yelled. The others repeated the same or just gripped their weapons.

"Oh, come on!" Luffy yelled.

"NO!" they yelled.

"Pretty please?" he asked. He got the same answer. He lowered his head so that the hat now hid his eyes, making him look intimidating.

"I see." He said in a more serious tone. "I understand."

He jumped high in the air.

"**Gomu Gomu no Storm!**" he announced.

'Crap!'

* * *

A member of the CP9, Blueno, watched from the top of the last gatehouse as the straw hat pirate demolished more and more buildings and beat up hundreds of marines in mere seconds.

His eyes were wide. He obviously did not expect this. He heard some reports about a few marines getting beaten up and Straw Hat then disappearing. After that, the boss must have somehow disconnected the Den Den Mushi again.

The idiot boss assumed it'd be completely fine to leave things as they are. He supposed his faith in the marine weaklings versus the highly wanted pirate was cute, but utterly moronic. It was of no surprise, of course, as chief Spandam himself was a weakling and had no idea how far apart a regular soldier was from the Straw Hat captain.

Even if Nico Robin's assessment of the captain's strength was an exaggeration, which he believed it probably was, since she probably never met someone as strong as the superhuman CP9 for example. Even then, the pirate should have been taken more seriously. The ease at which he dispatched the marines was quite unnerving to the man.

The agent of the CP9 sighed.

"I may have to handle this one myself."

* * *

_Okay, I hope you liked this chapter of Luffy scaring the shit of and beating up random marine grunts. _

_I know what people will say about this chapter. They'll say that Luffy had too much trouble with the marines and that he could have beaten them up in a seconds. Yes, completely true. But he's messing around and scaring the shit out of them instead. He's also holding back 99%. He has the time to screw around. As long as they are on the island, Robin and Franky are within his reach and they aren't moving anywhere right now. Plus, it'd be kinda bad if he beat them too quickly. He doesn't want to change his bounty too much, now does he?_

_Also, CP9 are idiots who are too arrogant for their own good. Blueno thinks that Luffy, while by far the strongest in his crew, would still be no match for him. Remember the scene in canon, in the mansion, where the CP9 practically bragged with their Rokushiki abilities and showed each one of them._

_Alright. I hope you liked this chapter, even if it was just messing with fodder. :) I think it's a fun little chapter. Please review._


	59. Choosing your opponents

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

_Two things to say: First of all, this'll become the most reviewed one piece fic after three more reviews. Huzzar! :)_

_Another thing. I've noticed another potentially successful fic and since I suspect many of you have liked the A different take, I'll tell you about this one as well. It's called __**Strawhat Luffy with the heal heal fruit, **__by __**ulfark**__. In this one, Luffy eats the heal heal no mi and also eats the gomu gomu no mi. It should be obvious why he can do that, but in case it isn't, go on and read it. He also loses some of his idealism as he is confronted by the harsh realities of the world at the age of seven, when Shanks visits. It has seen very little response though, even though I personally believe the story is very good so far. Check it out if it appeals to you. _

* * *

**59. Choosing your opponents**

The marines were dropping like flies under Luffy's punches. Luffy was just messing around, in wait for nakama to appear. He saw two giants somewhere in the distance, apparently fighting.

'It's time …' he thought. He activated his soru and, ignoring the marines completely, dashed towards the third and final gatehouse. To his surprise, he already felt the aura of his first opponent on the top of it. The agent of the CP9 was already waiting for him up there.

More marines appeared in front of him. Even though they were complete weaklings, he found them rather annoying. They'd constantly shoot at him or run up to him with their swords raised, thinking they'd be the ones to succeed where so many others had failed and take his head. I was getting old, but he couldn't simply use his King's haki on them. The marines might have been weak and stupid, but he was sure someone would realize how dangerous he truly was if he showed it. And he couldn't have that. Not if he wanted to save anyone.

He ran past the many marines. They didn't even notice him as he disappeared past them.

He finally reached the courthouse, which also acted as the final gate and jump on top of it.

He came face to face with one of Robin's kidnappers.

"Well then." Blueno began. "This is certainly a surprise. This is the first time something like this has happened, ever since the formation of the World Government."

He looked past Luffy at the ruined city.

"To have a man attack the city that leads to the entrance the world government." He continued. Luffy smirked.

"There's nothing to be surprised about." He replied. "You kidnapped my nakama and I'm responding."

The man looked at him with an unimpressed expression.

"You and the others seem not to understand this." The man told him. "What you did here, what you're still doing here-"

He paused for a moment. The sounds of fighting could be heard in the background as well as a yell that Luffy recognized belonged to Sanji.

"-This is a great offense to the world." He continued after a moment. "Across the world's oceans, we have influence over more than 170 affiliated countries. When you decided to invade this island, you also declared war on those 170 countries as well as the entire force of the World government."

Luffy grinned.

"That's right." He replied. "But I only attacked because I was provoked."

The man snorted, although he kept his face expressionless. It was impossible to see emotions in Blueno's face.

"You are at best a dozen people." He answered. Luffy didn't bother to correct him on that. "I doubt you can even leave this island alive, but even if you did, you wouldn't continue living for long. The government would put its pride at stake and make sure you are hunted down."

"So, why are you still talking to me?" Luffy asked in honest confusion. "I'm pretty sure your stupid little government wouldn't forgive me, even if I turned back right now."

There was silence for a few moments.

"You're only wasting your breath." He said after a moment.

The man sighed and shook his head.

"Very well." He said after a moment. "**Soru!**"

The man ran towards him in breathtaking speed. Or what would have been breathtaking speed to a normal man. He jumped in the air, using the air walking technique called Geppo. He jumped several times in the air and then dashed towards Luffy with a fist ready. The index finger was extended. It seems he intended to try to finish Luffy quickly.

The pirate smirked.

'For the most amazing assassins in the world, they sure waste a crap lot of energy.' he thought.

He grabbed the assassins' wrist. This didn't stop the man as he sliced the air with his left leg. Luffy simply jumped in the air to avoid and when he did that, he pulled the assassin with him and then threw him down.

The man stopped his imminent crash by kicking the air beneath him. He used Geppo to reach the position where Luffy was and then tried to punch him.

Luffy stopped the punch with his own and although he was holding back a lot, the CP9 member was still blown backwards.

He stopped by kicking the air behind him and glared at the pirate.

'This can't be happening.' he thought nervously.

The pirate landed on the gatehouse and smirked. He heard yelling and fighting behind him. The main force was getting closer.

"Why don't you just get out of my way?" Luffy suggested with a big grin. The assassin ignored his words and dashed forward.

"**Rankyaku **(Storm Leg)**!**" he announced and released several compressed air blasts towards his opponent. Luffy jumped in the air, avoiding them again. All without losing his grin.

The assassin used Geppo in combination with Soru and soon he was above him.

He tried to kick Luffy down into the building, but his leg was blocked with an obviously lazily raised hand, which wasn't even in a blocking position. In fact, Luffy looked sort of like he was stretching, but with only one hand.

Both men dropped on the ground, although there was a small distance between them.

They stared at each other for a few moments. Luffy picked his nose.

Then he raised his leg in a familiar position.

Blueno's eyes widened in shock. 'No, he can't … it can't be.'

Luffy noticed his horrified stare and his grin widened.

"**Rankyaku!**" he announced and sliced the air with his foot. The compressed air blast flew towards the assassin, who quickly jumped out-of-the-way.

He stared at the pirate's leg in shock.

'He just mastered one of the Rokushiki techniques … '

Luffy put his leg back on the ground. He grinned again.

"Shishishishi! Why are you so shocked?" he asked the gaping agent. "This isn't really hard to do as long as you kick fast enough!"

'This is bad.' he thought. 'It feels like he's toying with me. He hasn't even attacked yet!'

He jumped back in the air using his Soru, kicked the air a few times and flew towards Luffy with an extended fist at high-speed.

"**Tekkai!**" he announced as he attempted to crash down into his opponent. Luffy jumped out-of-the-way and kicked the man into his gut.

Blueno was sent flying away, but he stopped himself by kicking the air again.

He spat out blood and looked at Luffy in disbelief.

"**Doa Doa!**" he announced and opened a simple door in the ground using his devil fruit ability and jumped into it.

After a moment, two tiny doors opened underneath Luffy's feet. The CP9 agent attempted to grab his feet, pull them in and make them stuck in the ground, but before that could happen, Luffy jumped up in the air.

Seeing that he failed, Blueno created a bigger door underneath Luffy and jumped up, heading towards Luffy. He attempted to punch his opponent, but he only hit air as Luffy successfully dodged every blow.

"I'm sorry, but this is really boring." Luffy said after a while of dodging the blows. He caught the next punch with his right palm, powering his dial.

The desperate agent attempted a Rankyaku slice, but he just deflected it with his other hand. Blueno then tried to stab him with his index finger. Luffy caught his wrist with his left hand.

The man felt immense pressure. He tensed his entire body, effectively activating Tekkai.

But it wasn't enough. He screamed as the pirate broke his wrist. Then he released him.

"Maybe you should play a pirate next time." Luffy suggested coldly.

He looked at his broken hand in shock.

'What is this man?' he thought, panicked. 'How is he dominating the fight so effortlessly? I'm an agent of CP9, not some common marine!'

Then his eyes widened in realization.

* * *

_Flashback_

" …_. Don't try to intimidate me. Not even the four of you together could take the captain, let alone the whole crew ..."_

* * *

'She was right.' he thought. He looked past Luffy in absolute panic. Behind him was the Enies Lobby main building, where the CP9 and chief Spandam were. 'I need to inform Lucci. Victory here is impossible. The only option is to run. Run and hope to survive.'

He glanced at Luffy nervously. The pirate was scratching his head with a bored expression.

He kicked the air multiple times.

He blasted off towards the main building, running on air using his fastest possible speed.

'Thankfully, only agents of the government can use the air walking technique.' he thought. He looked behind him. The pirate had turned around and looked after him.

"Stop!" Luffy yelled. He didn't obey. He was half-way across the gap between the two buildings, running using his fastest speed.

He sighed in relief.

'Good, now he can't-"

He was in front of him. Kicking the air below him with his right foot and both of his hands in his pockets. Smirking.

The agent stopped and looked at the other man, horrified.

"And just where are you going?" Luffy asked with a wide smile. The agent looked at his legs with widened eyes.

"Ah, this?" Luffy asked and looked below. He smirked again. "Guess you shouldn't have showed me all those tricks?"

He enjoyed the look of terror on his opponents face. In his opinion, he deserved it. Even though he had learned both Soru and Geppo long ago, he deliberately made it seem as if everything was his fault. All to make the mistake seem even bigger.

The assassin punched him across the face with his undamaged hand. He didn't bother to dodge. A second before the fist connected, he covered his cheek with armament.

His head didn't move. The man retracted his fist and just stared.

'It felt like a hit steel.' he thought, but he wasn't allowed to keep thinking for long, as he felt a hand on his chest.

"What are you doing?!" he asked in a panicked voice.

Luffy looked him in the eyes.

"You should have chosen your opponents better, CP9." he said simply.

He looked at the agent. Everything seemed to move in slow motion.

"**Reject.**" Luffy whispered. He pushed the palm of his right hand to the assassins chest.

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, he felt immense pain. It was as if someone had punched him through the stomach. From the inside out. He thought his innards were going to burst apart. He crashed into the top of the gatehouse, but that pain was nothing compared to what he was feeling upon being hit with the dial.

He coughed and spat out blood. He tried to pick himself up, but he was unable to move.

Luffy was watching from above with widened eyes. He felt nothing after he used it, but it was clear that his opponent was unable to continue any longer.

'That was powered with one of his own punches.' he thought. 'If I used my own … there'd probably be nothing left of him …'

After a moment, the man collapsed completely and fell unconscious.

Luffy jumped down and inspected the damage. The man had blood all over his body. Luffy thought that he might make it though, if he's lucky.

He sensed around with his observation haki. His crew-members were just about to come up and the CP9, along with the two prisoners, were still in the grand tower of justice.

He grinned.

He also felt intense fear coming in waves somewhere from the top of the grand building. He turned around and faced it. The fear became even greater.

'The weakling boss.' he thought. 'Now that he's not in control anymore, he's afraid. Good.'

He looked at the tower for a moment, trying to find where the man was looking from, but he was unable to.

Then, at the next moment, his nakama came crashing through the ground.

* * *

_Okay, first of all, sorry for the short update and the delay. There's a reason for it. First of all, I started writing kinda late, so if I made it include more stuff I'd have to delay yet another day. And the reason for the delay is quite simply - I'm an extremely lazy person. And it shows. I've also kinda not been in the mood to write. The heat, constant stuff to do, other stuff on my mind ... it adds up. I'd appreciate if someone like gave me some tips on how to deal with laziness. lol Now that there's no school I've gotten even worse. :(_

_Anyway, other stuff to say. First of all, the CP9 comments in Water 7 (i know, i had to rewatch it) that it's possible to slice the air if you're fast enough. So I'm assuming that if you are and see the technique being performed, it's easy to replicate it. Especially for someone like Luffy. (though he probably won't use it very often if at all)_

_By the way, as I'm sure people will again misinterpret the short "fight", I'll explain beforehand that Luffy was only using his reaction speed and only dodging mostly. To kill time, since he wanted to wait for his nakama._

_Also, I've gotten a review that the name of the last chapter was inappropriate. I don't feel that way, although I can understand why you say so. I understand that the overall mood isn't appropriate, it's not nightmarish. But we and Luffy are not on the receiving end like the marines are. They get the nightmare, we get the funny. Though I maybe should have made him act slightly more nightmarish. It'd justify the title more._

_By the way. Luffy does not hate pies. Not really. It's just an excuse._

_Uhmm, I don't remember anything else to cover. So, yeah, Please review. I promise a longer chapter next time and I hope I'll write it tomorrow. I'll try to. Should cover the CP9-SH confrontation. Then, I'll mix things up a bit, so we won't follow canon too much anymore. :) I kinda had to (and wanted to) up till now though. Sorry about that. _


	60. The will to live

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**WARNING! READ THIS!**

This chapter features a lot of repeated dialogue and events. I thought this was such an iconic and epic scene, so I left it like it was. I also had no better idea (I had ideas, but they were crap). If you only want to read what's new, start reading one sentence before the final (3rd) flashback. You have been warned, so don't bother complaining later. In any case, I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

_This is from now on the most reviewed One piece fic on this site. :) Thanks for all the reading and reviewing, guys! Btw, I'm also slowly, but surely, crawling to the top in follows and favorites. If you only count K - T fics I'm already first though. _

_By the way, I've started cleaning up the first chapters a bit due to a suggestion. I've fixed the paragraphs a bit, slightly fixed the dialogue, but I'll make more repairs when I feel like it. _

* * *

**60. The will to live**

Nami and Chopper were both sent flying up from the courthouse by Zoro's reckless tornado-like attack. The swordsman soon climbed after them and got mercilessly scolded by the navigator. Soon afterwards, Usopp came flying from somewhere below and crashed down on the rooftop and Sanji kicked through the ground.

Luffy grinned.

'So, finally, everyone's here.' he thought joyfully.

He could still feel fear from the top of the judicial tower.

"LUCCI!" someone yelled from above, loud enough that everyone heard him. "GO GET LUCCI!"

Luffy smirked.

'Oh, so the boss is afraid?' he thought in amusement.

His nakama slowly came and joined him at the edge of the courthouse. He took a deep breath.

"ROBIN!" he yelled at the top of his lungs. "WE CAME TO GET YOU BACK!"

He felt great now that all his nakama were side by side with him. He glanced at the one closest to him. Usopp.

Despite the situation they were in, he seemed unafraid. He, along with everyone else, stared defiantly at the grand tower.

For a few moments nothing happened. Then he heard commotion from the tower. An explosion, followed by a crash. Then, the iron fence fell from the balcony on the tower.

They heard some panicked yelling, but after a while, everything calmed down.

"STRAW HAT!" a familiar voice yelled from the tower. Everyone looked up and saw the unusual figure. It was Franky.

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_Hey, Luffy, check out my new SUPER! Invention!"_

* * *

He grinned. Beside him was the one they came to rescue.

"Yosh!" Luffy called. "Robin!"

Of course, he was glad to see Franky was alive and well, but he was not one of them yet, so he didn't voice it.

Robin hesitated. More that anything she wanted to just get this over with. Because they were the first that protected her, the first that offered her a home, she wanted to protect them in turn. Protect them from herself and the darkness that followed her.

"What are you doing here?!" she yelled in an angry voice, but one could also hear desperation in it. "Why did you come here?!"

Every straw hat member was taken aback by her words. They stared at the top of the tower.

"We came to rescue you, Robin!" Luffy replied without hesitation. He could see the black figure at the top slightly shaking.

"I've told you before!" she yelled from the top. "I'm not coming back! I don't want to see you here! Why did you come for me?!"

Franky, who was currently dealing with the small fries that were attacking them, turned around and headed towards her.

"When did I ask you to save me?!" she continued to shout. "I never asked for such a thing!"

She closed her eyes in pain and took a deep breath.

"I ONLY WANT TO DIE!" she shouted. Although he expected to hear them, Luffy was still startled by the words. They also reminded him of someone else. Another one of the "demons".

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_... gramps, was it good that I was born ? …"_

"_... I don't deserve to live ..."_

"_... you want me to live? ..."_

"_... one with such worthless blood in his veins ..."_

"_... thank you for loving me ..."_

* * *

Franky stepped up to her and started shaking her by her shoulders.

"What nonsense are you saying?!" he yelled in disbelief. "Just let them rescue you!"

In that moment, Luffy felt a few powerful auras approach. The CP9 appeared from below the balcony, using Geppo to get up there.

"I don't believe you!" Luffy shouted from below, for now ignoring the agents. She hesitated again. He heard Franky yelling something at her, but he blocked it out, only focusing on her.

The straw hats observed the CP9, each trying to find his opponent.

"They passed through Aqua Laguna to come here." the only female of the group commented. "If you think about it, it's amazing."

Jabra snorted.

"They're lucky, that's all." he said.

The strongest of the group, Rob Lucci, smirked.

"This time we have permission to kill." he said in anticipation of the incoming fight. "We'll get to see if the captain is as strong as he was advertised to be."

The chief ran to the balcony, unafraid now that his assassins group was here.

"OI, CP9!" he commanded loudly. "You have permission to annihilate them, but attack them from this tower of justice!"

They didn't respond, but they always followed his orders, so he wasn't worried about that.

'The first priority is my life and then my promotion.' he thought. 'I have to make sure I'm protected! The pirate might have defeated Blueno, but Lucci has a douriki of 4000. With him as my bodyguard, I'm sure I'll be safe!'

He turned back to the pirates. He laughed.

Luffy's eye twitched. He only heard him laugh and he already hated the man.

"Wahaha! You tako (octopus) pirates!" he yelled loudly. Luffy face-palmed at the insult. "Even if you try your hardest, there's nothing you can change in the end!"

He laughed some more.

"We have the invincible CP9!" he shouted. "And behold-" he raised something high in the air. "-at this moment I hold the authority to use this golden Den Den Mushi and call on a Buster Call!"

Luffy snorted. He was extremely tempted to ask the chief if that was supposed to scare him, but he knew that same attack had destroyed Robin's home island and many others. He did not wish to mock her fear of it. So, he remained silent.

"B-Buster Call?" Robin asked with widened eyes. Spandam grinned mockingly, although the pirates couldn't see that.

"That's right." he said in an arrogant voice. "Exactly twenty years ago, it was the power that crushed your home island."

His grin widened.

"The name Ohara … it disappeared, didn't it?" he continued, enjoying her fearful expression.

"Robin's homeland." Chopper repeated. Sanji cursed the chief for tormenting Robin with this.

"Stop it!" she yelled at him. "Anything but that!"

He jumped up on the top of the railing.

"Nice reaction!" he told her. "It gives me chills!"

He showed her the Den Den Mushi.

"Does that mean you want me to push this?!" he asked mockingly. Robin gritted her teeth.

Luffy down on the gatehouse growled.

'That bastard!' he thought as his eyes twitched in anger.

"Don't you understand what will happen if you press that button?" Robin asked him, a bit more calmly. He smirked.

"I do." he said. "It's simple, really."

He moved his finger close to the button on the golden snail.

"I press this." he said in a low tone. "Pirates disappear."

This both angered and panicked the archeologist.

"It's not as simple as that!" she yelled at him. He chuckled.

"Wahahaha! Oh, are the memories flowing in?!" he asked mockingly. His finger went closer to the trigger."Then, shall I press it for a little test?"

"NO!" she yelled. "STOP THAT!"

His face darkened in anger because of being yelled at.

"It's a ruthless power that loses sight of the target itself!" she yelled. "You can't use it!"

"Not ever." she added silently.

The members of the CP9 glanced at her. They were surprised. Faced with the power of the government's most vicious attack, she was left to beg. Kaku and Kalifa in particular seemed unnerved by this. It was obvious that she was being overwhelmed by her horrible memories of the past.

"If you trigger the attack here." she continued. "Enies Lobby will be destroyed and so will all of you."

Spandam seemed confused by this.

"What kind of crap are you saying?" he yelled. "As if we could be hurt by an ally attack!"

"You don't understand." she said softly. "The attack doesn't discriminate."

She looked up at him with a pleading look in her eyes.

"Twenty years ago, it took everything away from me." she continued. "Everyone was killed. The attack was supposed to finish those that study the poneglyphs, but they killed _everyone_."

Everyone seemed startled by this, except Luffy who already knew all this. She stepped towards the railing.

"And now that same attack has shown itself here!" she yelled. "Aimed at the nakama I love. No matter how far I travel, the darkness will never cease to follow me! It's a gigantic enemy I can never shake off! My enemy is the world itself."

Luffy glanced at the flag of the world government that seemed to mock him from the top of the tower.

'God, I hate that flag.' he thought.

"With Aokiji and this time too, I've already involved you in this twice!" she continued to yell. "If this continues, no matter how kind you all are, someday you'll see me as a burden! Someday you'll betray me and throw me away! If that's what's supposed to happen … I'd rather die right now!"

The straw hats were startled by her words.

Luffy was a bit hurt by the words of mistrust, but he figured that due to her past, she couldn't bring herself to trust anyone again, regardless of how she wanted to. Besides, this was the second time this was happening.

'It seems her fear of the Buster Call is too great.' he thought. 'It's what traumatized her for her whole life … it must seem like an invincible nightmare to her.'

He glanced at her face sadly, while the chief began to laugh.

'It's her own hell, like Marineford is mine.' he thought. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. The chief was sprouting some crap about how she was right and that only an idiot would take her in, but Luffy ignored him.

He opened his eyes.

"Usopp." he asked in a loud childish voice, interrupting the annoying panda. "Don't you think that flag is really ugly?"

The sniper as well as everyone else who stood by him, smirked, catching on what Luffy was saying.

"Yeah." Usopp said with a huge smirk. "It's hideous! Being a great artist myself, I can't stand to even look at it!"

"Ughh, I know what you mean!" Sanji replied. "It hurts my eyes!"

"Damn right." Zoro said, for once agreeing with him.

"Same here." Nami said and smiled.

"I guess it is kinda stupid-looking." Chopper said, completing it.

Luffy smirked.

"Let's burn it." Luffy said loudly. The people on the balcony looked at them astonished.

"What?!" both Robin and Spanda(m) shouted at the same time, although Spanda(m) looked like the stereotypical snot-nosed brat from Whitebeard's description.

"Roger that." Usopp said. He used his new weapon, Kabuto, to send a large fire projectile into the flag. The initial attack completely destroyed the world government's cross symbol and a gigantic ring of fire spread above them. What remained of the flag burnt to ashes.

"No way!" Robin whispered.

The remaining marines below them shouted in disbelief. The chief seemed ready to pull his hair out.

"Are you crazy?!" he yelled. "Don't think you'll survive having the world as your enemy!"

"BRING IT ON!" Luffy roared from below. 'Humpf. If they knew who my father was …'

Robin was trembling. Tears gathered in her eyes as memories flooded her mind again.

"Robin!" Luffy yelled. "I still haven't heard it. SAY YOU WANT TO LIVE!"

Tears slipped down her cheek. She finally realized it. They were her nakama. Saul was right. It was a long time she had searched for people to accept her as their own … and she has finally found them.

"If I'm allowed to declare my wish … " she begun silently. "Then ..."

"I WANT TO LIVE!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "TAKE ME BACK TO THE SEA WITH YOU!"

All the straw hats grinned at that moment.

"With pleasure." Luffy said softly. He glanced at his crew-mates.

Usopp was shaking next to him.

"I-I'm s-so excited I c-c-can't stop s-shaking!" he stuttered out. Luffy grinned.

In the next moment, they could hear the bridge lowering, but the allied forces were unable to lower it completely.

He groaned in annoyance.

'Why can't it go more smoothly this time?' he asked himself in irritation.

The judge below and the chief were yelling something at each-other. He noted that the chief was getting ready to start his retreat.

He smirked.

'There's no way I'll let them go this far this time.' he thought. But then the chief stopped. Luffy looked in confusion.

"F-Franky, what is he-"

The cyborg held out a set of old-looking papers. The chief, Spandam, stopped in his tracks.

"T-Those a-are-" he began.

The cyborg let out a chuckle.

"It's the real thing." he said. "Lucci, Kaku, you guys can probably tell."

He raised a few of the pages and quickly showed it to them. Their eyes widened.

Spanda(m), of course, demanded the plans for himself, but Franky simply ignored his demands. Luffy briefly wondered why the CP9 didn't just restrain him and take the plans. Did they actually believe Franky was going to give the plans to them? Or they simply didn't care until they received actual orders?

"Nico Robin." Franky said. "We've talked for a bit and I really don't believe that you are the demon that they all say you are."

He looked at the chief.

"Spanda." he addressed him. "What Tom-san and Iceburg tried to protect with their lives is a means to resists against the power of an ancient weapon, should it fall in the hands of a total idiot like you-"

"SHUT UP!" the boss yelled. "Give them to me!"

Franky sighed at being interrupted.

"IF that were to happen!" Franky said loudly, showing his irritation. "Then this weapon would need to be built to resist that. The designer's wish is to contain a reckless outbreak."

Luffy, down on the gatehouse, gained a thoughtful expression.

'The Ancient weapons. ' he thought. 'The World government wants them … the world government fears them.'

* * *

_Flashback:_

"_... As the only person in the world capable of reviving the ancient weapons, Nico Robin is one of the greatest threats to the World government ..."_

"_... Pluton. It is said that it is capable of destroying an island with one blast ..."_

* * *

He smirked.

'Good to know.'

He snapped out of his thoughts just in time to see Franky burn the blueprints.

'So … if I would _happen_ to get the weapon now, there'd be no way to resist it, hmmm?!'

The straw hats cringed when they heard their captain's evil cackling. Luffy just got an idea.

He turned his attention back to the balcony. At about the same time, Kokoro-basan told them to jump into the waterfall and Franky got thrown down the balcony by a furious panda.

"Hey, Usopp." he whispered to the sniper. "Tell the others to deal with the CP9. I'll go after Robin."

He nodded.

"What about me?!" he asked, though he sounded a bit panicked, obviously dreading Luffy's words.

"Hmm, Well." Luffy began. "You should go to the top of the tower and clear the way forward. Snipe any marine in sight."

The sniper nodded. He released a breath he did not know he was holding. He feared he was going to be ordered to take one of the CP9, who all seemed way above his level in fighting power.

"If you need help getting there, ask one of the others." he finished.

Luffy then stretched his arms around his nakama as he heard the train approaching.

"Shishishishi! Let's go jumping!" he said cheerfully. He jumped into the giant hole at the bottom and pushed his nakama down at the same time.

'That monster granny is as insane as us.' he thought as they landed on the sea-train, which was by now very beaten up.

He face-faulted along with the others as Franky landed crotch-first on the front of the Rocket-man and was then pushed by the train towards the giant steel (closed) gate of the judicial tower.

"See ya!" Luffy said just as they were about to crash.

"EEEEEH?!"

* * *

In the meantime, on the top of the tower, on the balcony, the cowardly chief grabbed Robin and started to leave.

"Ah!" he suddenly exclaimed as he remembered he hadn't given the orders yet. He turned around and ran back to the balcony. He pointed at his assassins' group.

"You guys!" he yelled. "Go and pulverize the pirates on this tower of justice! You have permission to kill!"

He looked at the strongest of the group.

"Lucci!" he yelled. "You come with me! You need to protect me, got that!?"

He returned to the room. Lucci followed behind him.

"Funkfreed!" he yelled. The quite literal elephant in the room came running towards him.

Then, he stopped. Sweat started pouring down his whole body.

"What is it?!" Spandam yelled at his pet/sword. The elephant took a step back.

"Chief." Kaku said softly.

"What?!" Spandam yelled loudly, quite irritated. After receiving no response, he proceeded to turn around. Lucci and Robin did the same.

In the empty air in front of them was the pirate captain. Kicking the air below him with his right foot. Looking displeased.

"Hello there." he said in a low tone. At that moment, Spandam felt cold sweat crawling down his spine. The man felt that maybe, just maybe, he shouldn't have done what he did as chief of the CP9.

He glanced at the members of his organization. A few of them seemed to feel the same as he could see some sweat pouring down their faces.

"L-Luffy ..." Robin whispered, but everyone heard her as there was dead silence. Only the wind would occasionally blow past them. Or a distant shout from the island.

The pirate landed silently on the stone railing of the balcony.

He looked at every member of the organization separately, sizing them up. The chief backed away a bit as the pirate rested his eyes on him and when he did, he released a light chuckle, which sounded chilling in the silence.

Then he looked at Robin. She flinched a bit.

"The kiss was fine." he said slowly. Her eyes widened in surprise at his words. "But the cuffs, erm, not so much."

She looked down in shame. It may have seemed the only way at the time, but even if she was forced to do it, she couldn't help but regret her obviously low move.

He looked away from her and she let out a breath.

The pirate turned his attention back to the group. Jabra growled.

'What is this?!' he thought as he gritted his teeth in anger. '_I'm_ supposed to be the predator here!'

He looked at the pirate.

'He's even a little runt!' he thought. 'Then why, _why_ do I feel so intimidated?!'

Luffy sighed.

"So you stupid amateurs are the ones who kidnapped our archaeologist." he said in a dangerously low voice. "You shouldn't have done that ..."

* * *

_Okay, this took longer than expected. As promised and as is clearly visible in the chapter, I'm going to do things differently now. _

_I only just now figured out the joke with Funkfreed. Heh, the elephant in the room. Quite literally. _

_By the way, I've read a bit of the My Immortal fic, the story said to be the worst fanfiction ever. I have to say that between the hilarious misspellings, stupid plot, MarySue-ish-ness (I've just invented this word), the sheer absurdity of everything, OOC-ness of every single character in the story and childishly described sex, I find that fic totally and utterly hilarious. I listened to a "dramatic reading" on the youtube, btw. (by TehPogo)It's as if the fic was so freaking bad that it came circling back and became a comedy gem. A hilarious, unintentional (probably) comedy gem. With sprinkles. (Though I might have lost quite a lot of IQ points.)_

_I have nothing else to say. Shocking, I know. So, I hope you liked it. Please review. _


	61. The CP9's strongest

Once Again has its own tvtropes page. You can find the link in my profile. Feel free to add any additional tropes if you're familiar with them.

* * *

**61. The CP9's strongest**

Luffy observed the members of the government's assassins group. Most of them seemed quite unnerved by his presence, especially given how easily he had followed them up there.

Lucci and Kaku seemed to be the most calm of the group. Lucci wore a small smirk, while Kaku just observed him. The other members were more nervous, with sweat pouring down some of their faces.

The elephant in the room was backing away slowly. His instincts seemed to tell him not to mess with the newly arrived person. He was easily the most scared of everyone, followed closely by the weakling chief, who had sweat pouring down his face.

After all, the chief had always thought the CP9 were invincible. To a smaller degree, the members themselves believed that, but they were nowhere near as sure in it as him. So for a non-CP9 individual to arrive using one of their signature moves shook him. Especially given how nonchalant the pirate was about the whole thing.

The pirate jumped down from the railing and lightly landed in front of them.

The chief shook his head and quickly recomposed himself.

"CP9!" he yelled. "Stop him!"

He turned to leave.

"Lucci, you come with me!" he ordered as his chosen bodyguard was still staring at the pirate. The strongest assassin rolled his eyes and followed with a disappointed expression. The chief grabbed Robin. The other assassins turned towards the pirate.

Luffy didn't acknowledge them at all. He kicked the ground several times and appeared in front of the retreating trio.

"Who said you could leave?" he asked in a low tone. Spandam's eyes nearly bulged out.

"Lucci!" he yelled panicked.

The assassin threw a punch at his head, but Luffy easily blocked it with his right hand, also powering the Reject dial underneath his glove.

"Let go of Robin." he said calmly, but the undertones suggested pain upon failing to comply with his demand.

"W-Why should I?" the chief stuttered, trying to look defiant, but failing at it.

Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"Hmm, well, I could cook you." he suggested in a more cheerful tone. "I've never eaten panda meat before!"

"W-W-What?!" he stuttered out and unintentionally let go of her. The pirate stepped towards Robin.

"Are you okay?" he asked her quietly. She nodded in confirmation. Then Luffy noticed something on her face.

He stepped closer with a concerned look and examined it. He touched her cheek lightly with his index finger while she stared at him.

"You're bruised." he said quietly. Spandam started sweating.

The pirate turned to the chief.

Knowing what he was probably about to do and in accordance with his orders, he stepped in front of the chief.

"Get going!" the assassin yelled to his comrades. "Deal with the others! I want to fight this one!"

"Lucci!" Spandam yelled in protest, but the assassin ignored him.

Luffy took another step forward and glared at Lucci. The message was clear. Very obvious.

'Get out of my way so I can kick your boss' ass.' or something to that effect.

He stretched his right arm behind him and punched forward. Lucci met the punch with his own. Because Luffy was holding back and didn't use any haki, the force was more or less equal, so both stayed where they were, although Lucci's strain was somewhat more visible.

Luffy raised his left leg and quickly did a Rankyaku attack.

Lucci's eyes widened, but he reacted fast enough with his right leg to redirect the flying blade somewhere in the air, however at that same moment Luffy punched his side with his left fist, sending him flying in the wall to the right. It was a very light punch for Luffy, only meant to clear the way.

In front of him, Spandam stood panicked. Luffy walked up to the chief and looked at him. Lucci, as well as the other CP9, who still haven't left yet due to the conflict of orders, looked at him in confusion. The strongest CP9 member would have helped Spandam, but he didn't know what to make of Luffy's lack of reaction.

The chief and Robin were confused also. Robin blinked a few times. Chief's eyes were wide and he stared back at the enemy. Then, suddenly …

"You bastard!" Luffy yelled and delivered a painful-looking kick to Spandam's crotch that sent him flying towards the ceiling.

The two women's eyes were wide, while all the men wore a nearly identical expression with one of their eyes closed and face contorted in pain.

Jabra's face in particular also showed some disgust.

"What kind of a man you are to aim for another man's weak spot like that?!" he yelled in anger. Luffy blinked.

"What kind of a man is _he_ to beat a defenceless, cuffed prisoner?" he asked in return and looked up that man stuck with his head in the ceiling. Robin couldn't help but stare at Luffy. Nobody had ever avenged her like that. Even if it was with a completely shameless crotch-shot.

"You could have just punched him." Kaku suggested while he eyed the Chief. Surprisingly, there was no blood visible. It seemed the chief was more durable than they thought.

"Yoyoi!" the largest person watching from the balcony exclaimed loudly. "Aiming for another man's kintama shames a man!"

Luffy rolled his eyes in irritation.

"I get it!" he yelled in an annoyed voice. He sighed.

"Tell you what." the pirate continued. "In return, one of you can kick me in the same spot."

There was silence for a moment.

"Though you'll probably break your leg if you do." he muttered afterwards. Everyone stared at him.

"Enough of this!" someone yelled from nearby. "Go deal with the others!"

"Fine!" Jabra said in an angry voice. While he couldn't go against Lucci's order, he didn't have to pretend that he liked it.

The others didn't comment on it. Everyone used to Geppo to jump in the air and in a moment, they were gone, although Luffy wasn't particularly impressed with their speed.

Luffy turned to his opponent. Robin was already looking at him.

"So." Luffy began. "Key please?"

Lucci snorted.

"Even if I had it, I wouldn't give it to you!" he said amused. Luffy eyed Spandam. "The chief doesn't have it either."

Luffy looked around the room. The elephant was looking at him in horror from the doorway. He blinked a few times. Was he _that_ scary when he was mad?

"One of the other CP9 has it." the strongest assassin said. Luffy gained a thoughtful expression.

"Well, four of you were at Water 7, right?" he asked. The chief fell from the ceiling with a thud, but everyone ignored him. He stayed on the ground, looking like he had some sort of spasm attack. "And the strongest members after you are Kaku and that wolf-guy."

Lucci blinked. How did the pirate know that Jabra had a wolf devil fruit? Or was he just going off Jabra's normal appearance?

"The wolf guy wasn't with you, which makes me believe that Kaku has the key." Luffy finished. The assassin stared at him in shock. That was completely correct. The pirate didn't know about multiple keys aimed to waste their time, but he was still right about the key to Robin's handcuffs.

Robin was surprised as well. Looking at Lucci's expression, it seemed that her captain guessed correctly.

Then Lucci smirked.

"In any case, it won't do you any good." he said. "After all, you'll have to defeat me."

Luffy blinked a few times.

"Oooh, how scary!" Luffy said sarcastically in a perfect impression of Admiral Kizaru. The assassins' face changed from amusement to anger. He did not like being mocked.

"Robin, can you go out of the way?" Luffy asked. The archaeologist nodded and ran to the chief's office table. He kicked the helpless chief to the doorway, where he could be reunited with his pet/sword.

Lucci then smirked again as Luffy's attention was upon him. He used his devil fruit to transform into his Zoan Leopard hybrid form. He slowly grew in his form until he towered above the man. The man, who was picking his nose and looked at him with an unimpressed expression.

The assassin resisted the urge to face-fault. That was not a reaction he was expecting.

Nevertheless, he lunged forward with his right fist, aiming a punch. Luffy simply jumped in the air.

The leopard activated his Tekkai as his opponent delivered a kick from above. It wasn't a particularly strong kick on Luffy's part, but it nearly broke through his defense.

He quickly turned around and attempted to use a Shigan on his airborne opponent, but the pirate simply kicked his hand away with his foot.

He kicked beneath him and used Geppo to get closer to his opponent.

"**Rankyaku!**" he announced and sliced the air as soon as he was on the same height as his enemy.

Luffy smirked and used his left hand to deflect the blade.

Lucci was surprised, but he didn't let it show. He lunged forward and went into the offensive. He attempted several punches, which his opponent avoided and then aimed a Shigan with both of his index fingers.

Luffy grabbed both of his wrists and prepared his leg.

Lucci used Tekkai, but he soon discovered that his enemy was not going for a kick, but a Rankyaku instead, so he used his Geppo to get jump higher in the air, forcing Luffy to release his hands at the same time.

The pirate was now below him, but he started running toward him in an attempt to attack.

He smirked and used both of his legs to release several flying blades towards his enemy, which Luffy deflected, all but the last one, which cut through the side of his Hawaiian shirt, but was unable to touch his body.

Luffy stretched his right hand behind him.

"**Gomu Gomu no Pistol!**" he announced and punched forward, towards his enemy. His punch was met with his opponent's, who was pushed back a bit.

'Damn it.' Lucci thought. 'He's strong. Far stronger than I thought. Even in this form, he still overpowers me.'

Strain was visible on his face as the two fists were locked in a contest of strength. His opponent had no such problem, but the contest was canceled when Luffy suddenly pulled back his fist, grabbed his sword and slashed forward, releasing a powerful flying blade attack, which Lucci barely avoided by jumping in the air and nearly hitting the ceiling.

The assassin growled in anger. His opponent sheathed his katana and grinned mockingly.

A thought reached his mind. He turned to the right, where the chief's table and Robin was.

He smirked.

"**Rankyaku!**" he yelled and released several compressed air blasts towards her, aimed to kill.

Luffy, upon seeing this, used his top Soru speed and ran in front of the flying blades with his unsheathed sword. He started deflecting them.

Even as he was doing so, Lucci ran towards him with an extended index finger on his right hand.

As soon as he deflected the last slash, he was forced to dodge the Shigan by moving his head. At the exact same time as he dodged, he used his other hand and tried to pierce Luffy's body with another finger pistol.

His opponent pulled his body back with flexibility impossible for a non-rubber man and dodged the strike.

Then, Lucci raised his left leg.

"**Rankyaku!**" he announced and sliced the air. Luffy barely dodged the slash as it was in close proximity and his body was in an odd position. It grazed the rubber body a bit, making a small cut at his side.

The assassin smirked upon dealing his first damage to his enemy.

Then, at the same time, the ground started shaking a bit. The two fighters didn't notice this as they were both in the air, but Robin did.

"W-What's happening?" she yelled in surprise. Both of the fighters blinked and looked at her, wondering what was going on.

Then they landed on the ground again.

Now they knew what she was talking about. Luffy blinked in confusion.

Lucci sighed.

"Kaku must have cut the tower somewhere." he said in irritation. Luffy blinked a few times. He couldn't think of any good reason why the assassin would destroy his own home, but it did feel like it was sliding off.

"Is he dumb?" he asked after a moment. Lucci looked at him, but didn't respond. He might have pondered the same question. The assassins weren't particularly worried about collateral damage, but this was the direct property of the government, not to mention their home between mission. There was bound to be a lot of damage during the fights, but cutting the tower was utterly unnecessary.

The assassin let the matter go and thought about the fight. While he was the first to deal damage, he couldn't be particularly pleased about the battle. His opponent seemed quite a bit faster than him.

Luckily, there was a solution to that.

He sighed.

"**Seimen Kikan **(life return)**!**" he announced and he transformed. His hybrid form became less bulky and therefore allowed him more speed. It was already obvious that his enemy was stronger than him, seeing how much effort it took for him to counter punches and how little of it was visible on his enemy. If he needed more strength, he could just switch to the other form, but the enemy was physically stronger in either case.

They were about to start fighting again, when they heard the chief dragging himself across the floor.

"You bastards." he hissed. "Don't think you're getting out of here alive."

He chuckled and sat himself against the wall.

"Lucci, you were supposed to protect me." he spat out after a while. With one hand he was clutching his manhood, while with his other he was rummaging through his pockets.

Luffy's closed one of his eyes. His other eye was kept focused at the man's crotch.

'Maybe I overdid it just a _tiny_ bit.' he thought.

But then, when the man took out the object he was searching for, namely the golden Den Den Mushi, he shook his head several times.

'No, I should have kicked _harder_.' he thought.

"No, you can't!" Robin yelled from next to the table.

The chief let out a sinister chuckle.

"Oh, really?" he asked in a low tone. "Why not?"

Luffy rolled his eyes. His right hand went into his right pocket.

Robin noticed this and looked at his pocket in confusion, wondering why he did that.

"Will you really do this, Spanda?" he asked him. "Will you sacrifice 10.000 marines and possibly your spies just to make sure we don't escape?!"

The man looked at him with a sinister-looking grin. Luffy wondered how such a pathetic weakling could be so malicious. He hated both Akainu and Blackbeard, but they at least had the strength to actually challenge him, unlike this slimy panda bastard.

"I don't care about the soldiers!" he spat out. "They've failed to stop you, so they are worthless to me!"

He panted a bit.

"I'll get my promotion, Straw Hat Luffy!" he continued in a malicious tone. "10.000 is a good sacrifice for my promotion!"

Luffy sighed.

'What an idiot.'

He then pressed the button, much to Robin's shock. He started cackling and made his great crawling escape.

Luffy smirked as he looked at his pathetic form on the floor.

"Oi, Spanda?" he yelled in an almost singing voice. He took something from his right pocket. The chief turned around with a horrible feeling in his gut.

Luffy allowed a great big mocking smirk to spread across his face. Everyone recognized what was in his hand. He clicked the button on the centre of the device.

"_Will you really do this, Spanda? Will you sacrifice 10.000 marines and possibly your spies just to make sure we don't escape?!"_

"_I don't care about the soldiers! They've failed to stop you, so they are worthless to me!"_

"_I'll get my promotion, Straw Hat Luffy! 10.000 is a good sacrifice for my promotion!"_

Luffy grinned as the chief looked at him and the tone dial in total shock.

"Thank you, Spanda!" he said cheerfully as Spandam started stuttering random words like he was a madman.

He chuckled.

"I could kill you or beat you up." he continued. "But giving _this_ to Monkey D Garp would be much worse, wouldn't it?"

The chief paled.

"Grandpa doesn't like jerks like you either." Luffy finished. If possible, his face paled even further.

"G-G-Grandpa?!" he stuttered out. Lucci seemed equally shocked.

Luffy just grinned.

"Now you'll never get your promotion." he said with his trademark grin. "You should never have messed with me, you know?"

He then turned his attention away from the stuttering chief and back to Lucci.

Robin just stared at him in shock, hardly believing what she had seen.

'He intentionally did what would hurt Spandam the worst.' she thought. Just as the two were about to fight again, they were once again interrupted.

This time by a yelling panda, who was running straight for Luffy. The pirate allowed the punch to connect to his jaw. It failed to move him even a little bit.

Nevertheless, Spandam, in his fury, continued to punch him.

When he had enough of him, Luffy simply knocked him out with a simple punch to the gut.

Lucci looked at his chief in indifference. He was a fool and had brought this on himself.

"Now, can we continue our fight?" Luffy asked and grinned. The assassin was surprised. The pirate's attitude towards him was almost warm compared to his attitude to the chief. He might have been smiling the whole time, but the change in the air was visible from before.

"We need to tell the others to evacuate!" Robin yelled from the table. Luffy nodded.

"You do that." he told her.

She wanted them to stop fighting temporarily and she was just about to suggest that, but when she saw Lucci's focused expression, she knew nothing had changed for him.

She was going to have to warn them herself, however much harder it was with the cuffs. She could only hope their battle wouldn't last much longer.

Both of the fighters used their Soru and vanished from her sight.

* * *

_Okay. You've waited a bit for this, so I hope you liked this chapter._

_First of all, I hope Luffy's punishment to Spandam doesn't seem too OOC. It doesn't seem that way to me, although at the same time, the original Luffy would never do this, I think, but maybe because he wouldn't think of it. In any case, this Luffy is just slightly bit more cruel. And with slightly, I mean a lot. Well, when someone pisses him off anyway. _

_Alright, so the Buster Call will come sooner, although I'm not completely sure yet how I'll proceed, but the next chapter will in any case be Luffy's battle with Lucci (sometimes I wonder if the name similarities are intentional ...)._

_Robin is currently completely useless with her cuffs on and so she just stayed behind with them. If she tried to reach any of the others, the possibility of her capture would be high, since she can't even defeat random grunts right now. _

_An assassin's leg probably would break if they tried a crotch shot, since Luffy would just use Armament. I'll probably make Luffy say "__**Crotch armament.**__" somewhere in the future. For the lulz._

_Considering that someone has asked me if I have a sword fetish, someone told me that two sentences of romance will make my story 'Jump the shark' and another one told me that the flag-burning scene in the last chapter has ruined my story beyond repair, I suspect someone will ask me if I have a crotch fetish, seeing as how crotch-shots are slowly becoming somewhat of a running gag. I'm looking forward to it, though I hope it'll only be said as a joke and not as a flame. Unless you make it funny, like the first guy who suggested that I feel sexually attracted to sharp blade objects. Although I'm not exactly sure how that works. He forgot to mention that. _

_Also, contrary to some of my past ranting, I really should make it clear that flames haven't really been a problem. The occasional guy here and there and that's it. I just like to write about it, since I find it amusing. _

_So, anyway, I'll stop doing this now. Hope you liked this chapter. Please review._


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